A funny, tender and sometimes dark collection about what one humble dessert can reveal about family, memory, belonging and being a New Zealander.
Through stories, poems, art, history, humour and more, Pav Deconstructed looks beyond the cream and meringue to the lives, memories and arguments gathered around one of New Zealand’s most familiar desserts.
About the book
It began with a simple observation over dinner: everyone had a pavlova story. That conversation sparked a two-year search for the pavlova that exists beyond glossy recipe books. The one remembered from childhood tables, carried carefully to family gatherings, argued over, laughed about, ruined, reinvented and claimed as our own.
Pav Deconstructed brings together the work of more than 150 contributors in an eclectic collection of stories, poems, artwork, memories, humour, history and unexpected detours. Along the way there are newspaper clippings, cartoons, songs, family traditions, culinary rivalries, a pavlova-inspired gin fizz and even a suggestion for a new postage stamp series.
But the book is not all sweetness and nostalgia. Beneath the cream and meringue are stories of family history, obsession, loss, identity and belonging. Some are funny. Some are strange. Some are deeply moving. Together they reveal something larger than a dessert. Pavlova becomes a way of looking at who we are, what we remember, what we inherit, and the stories we tell around the table.
Whether you love pavlova, hate it, or simply have an opinion about who invented it, you may find something of yourself inside.
Praise for Pav Deconstructed
“Let me say at the outset that I loathe pavlova. Dislike it immensely. But I love this book all about my least favourite dessert. It’s joyful, funny, witty and charming. The design is delicious. It is a wonderful book.”
Peta (NZ Booklovers)
“This is a gorgeous large format book. It is full of stories, art, photography, poetry, snippets of history, and much more. I love dipping into it when I need something to lift my spirits.”
Lee (Goodreads)
“It is a well produced, comprehensive and amusing account of that Kiwi icon, the pavlova. It is beautifully illustrated, and is a literary showcase for New Zealand artists and writers.”
Al (Goodreads)
“This book stirs a lot of pavlova memories, successes and failures, happy and sad stories, tall tales and true. The book is 230 pages and beautifully presented, which is only right for a pavlova.”
Alison (Goodreads)
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Inside Pav Deconstructed
About the author
Pav Deconstructed was created by three editors, Kathy Derrick, Jac Jenkins and Claire Gordon, and more than 150 contributors, bringing together a remarkable range of voices, experiences and ways of looking at one deceptively simple dessert. Its contributors include writers, poets, artists, photographers and everyday people with a pavlova story to tell. The result is not one version of pavlova, but many. A collective portrait made from more than 150 different perspectives.
