fathers_and_daughters_new_zealand_fiction, women_new_zealand_fiction, new_zealand_fiction 

Billy Flower lives in the small mainly Maori town of Meridian. The fact he is irresistible to women is borne out by his twelve daughters, known about town as the Flower girls, all to different mothers. Grace is gone centres on Billy's daughter Cherry, who has returned from overseas to Meridian after the break-up of her marriage to Bax, a British photojournalist. He'll be following her home soon, but for the moment Cherry has returned alone to lose herself in the loving world of her family. Then there's her old childhood friend Grace; she died some years ago, but that doesn't stop her putting in regular appearances throughout the novel. Grace is gone, with its sprawling cast of characters, explores the relationships of an extended family of Maori women.