The latter references the former. Some years ago, when I discovered the first edition of Passionless People, I couldn't believe such a book existed. It seemed like such a fearless and necessary (though perhaps dated by the time I got to it) social critique that dissected feeble and passive-aggressive New Zealand culture with a fierce diagnostic eye and icepick. Both works are rare and singularly significant explorations of New Zealand culture from a reflective and insightful angle.

The first edition went out of print in less than a year. Now, some 35 years later, McLauchlan, who has had a long career as a journalist, author and broadcaster, has jolted his book into the 21st century, revising it for New Zealand's cultural landscape today.