A Tarot-reading Frenchwoman and a paua-shell memorial to a dead soldier play an important role in Coral Atkinson's latest novel. Set in a central North Island town during the 1930s Depression, THE PAUA TOWER explores the relationship of a group of people struggling to survive and make sense of a bitter time. It is the story of Vic Cowan, unemployed activist and Stella Morgan, the sweetheart who must save herself; it tells of Jack Baldwin the disabled bank manager who sees visions; and Roland Crawford the doubting clergyman. Faith is lost and found, corruption is rife and innocence destroyed, but through it all love blossoms and hope endures. This is a novel set in New Zealand at a pivotal moment in our history. it is about how we once were, or might have been.