Penguin Books Australia

Von s mum, Charlene, has been gone for ten years when, out of the blue, she asks him to visit her in New Zealand. Charlene s a dancer at Endorphin, a Wellington nightclub, her partner is running from the cops, and she s struggling to keep her two-year-old daughter Stella.

Trapped in his mother s chaotic world, Von spends every night at home playing parent to Stella. Some holiday. Still, it s not too bad on Cuba Street Von likes the quirky people who live there. But when things go badly wrong, Von s drawn to the home of his Moriori ancestors where the old ones wait to help him – if he has the strength to listen to them.

Mama's Trippin' is a fast-paced contemporary thriller set against the backdrop of an inspiring cultural struggle.