Spinners - Anthony McCarten (a review)

"It was some time on Saturday night after work but before closing time down at the pub that Delia Chapman saw a spaceman. Well, that wasn't quite true. She saw ten of them. They stayed for about half an hour. And they took her on their 'vessel'. They had silver suits and stainless-steel boots. The vessel was ultra-modern and entirely impressive."

Delia is next found on the middle of the road into Opunake by the new librarian (nephew of the mayor). In fact he nearly runs her over. So he gives her a ride into town where she tells her story to the understandably disbelieving local policeman (who is also the netball coach).

Everyone in Opunake finds it funny when quiet factory worker and netballer (goal shoot), Delia Chapman, makes the absurdly "American" claim that she was invited on board a spacecraft and 'interviewed' by aliens. It's Yanks that see spacemen.

"They imagined close encounters at the drop of a hat, especially when they were depressed, or had insomnia, or were on some kind of pills.[Delia] had read this. New Zealanders were different. They saw ghosts, not UFOs, poltergeists, the odd devil and the ever improbable witch."

But the jokes all turn to dismay when tests reveal that the sixteen year old virgin is pregnant! And things can only get worse when two of her young workmates and fellow netballers announce their pregnancies too and cite fathers with intergalactic addresses. Delia begins to believe that the new children will arrive with instructions to save the world.

Next there are crop circles and a flattened cow (a spaceship landing on the cow?)

And the media arrives in town bringing disrepute onto the town.

A humorous satire with several twists.

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The author, Anthony McCarten, was born in 1961 and grew up in New Plymouth (NZ), and spent two years as a reporter on the Taranaki Herald. He has previously written ten plays and made five films, one of which "Show Of Hands" (about a competition to win a car by being the last person with their hands still touching the car) was coincidentally shown on the telly just over a week ago . He has also published a collection of short stories (A Modest Apocalypse). Spinners is his first novel.