The Griffith Review is a quarterly journal of literary, political and current affairs writing out of Griffith University in Brisbane, a little like Granta. Pacific Highways is their first issue devoted to New Zealand writing, co-edited by Julianne Schulz and Lloyd Jones. It's a fine and representative selection of our best current writers, featuring essays, memoir, fiction and poetry, and 2 photo essays. There's not much fiction, only 3 pieces out of over 40 in total. There's some very good writing here, covering a huge range of subjects; but it's clear that this collection is primarily aimed at Australian readers - most of the pieces here intend to explain New Zealandness to Australians. I found reading some of these pieces almost redundant. I like the collection, it's great that it exists, and it may cause some Australians to think slightly differently about us, but for New Zealand readers it's not essential reading.