2018 School Spending Survey Report
Past the Shallows
Washington Square: Atria. Apr. 2014. 272p. ISBN 9781476758503. pap. $15; ebk. ISBN 9781476754888. F
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In a small fishing community on the southern coast of Tasmania, young brothers Harry and Miles cope as best they can with a miserable home life following their mother's death in a suspicious car accident. The boys rely on their intense bond to survive their father's alcoholic binges and violent mood swings, which are often magnified by his increasingly dismal luck in the fishing business. Debut Australian novelist Parrett skillfully crafts a dual narrative to tell the boys' story through their own eyes, interjecting dreamlike flashback sequences that eventually allow Miles to uncover the dark secret at the heart of his father's rage.
VERDICT Parrett deservedly received critical acclaim in Australia for this haunting fiction debut. Her writing is vivid and distinct; Miles, as the emotional core of the story, is a poignantly authentic and nuanced character. Parrett particularly excels at conveying the boys' adversity in rich, unsentimental detail; addressing issues from the despair of food insecurity to the confusion and fear that accompany life with an abusive parent, Parrett's novel sings with an emotional power that marks her as a writer to watch.
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