1985
- Author
- Dominic Hoey
- Published
- 2025-12-09
- Format
- audiobook
- Finished
- 2026-02-16
- Rating
- ★★★★★
1985 One of those books I couldn’t put down. Dominic Hoey’s voice is direct and unapologetic. No sanding down the rough edges. Reading it while living here in Auckland allowed me to relate in a way. I’ve spent the last nine months walking these streets. Same geography, completely different lives. Grey Lynn in 2026 is renovated villas and high property values, and the same poverty, just pushed out of sight. Two worlds sitting side by side. Obi’s story carries constant tension. Kids navigating adult chaos. Systems that don’t show up. People surviving however they can.
It’s 1985 and Obi’s on the cusp of teenagehood, after a childhood marked by poverty, dysfunctional family dynamics, (dis)organised crime and violence. His dad’s delusional, his mum’s real sick, the Rainbow Warrior just exploded, and it’s time for Obi to grow up and get out of the spacies parlour.When he and his best mate Al discover a map leading to unknown riches, Obi wonders if this windfall could be the thing t...