In the best Rabelaisian tradition, Kisses in the Nederends weaves a tale of improbabilities around the seat of the last great taboo. Oilei Bomboki wakes one morning with an excruciating pain that sends him anxiously searching for a cure. Unsuccessful treatments at the hands of various healers and doctors, culminating in a bizarre operation, lead the desperate Oilei to seek the help of Babu Vivekanand—sage, yogi, and conman. Through Babu's teachings Oilei learns to love and respect the source of his (and, ultimately, everyone else's) complaint. By turns savage and absurdly comic, this brilliant satire allows Hau'ofa to comment on aspects of life in a small Pacific community perched precariously between traditional and modern ways.

"A Promise of Renewal: An Interview with Epeli Hau‘ofa" follows the novel.