Saturday 12 July 2008

Australian Fiction

Finished July 11
Breath by Tim Winton
For a short novel, this packs in a lot. The story is told from the point of view of Pikelet, looking back on his life from his fifties. He is now a paramedic and it is an incident through his work that takes him on the trip back, mainly to his teens as he and his friend Loonie came under the guidance of a veteran surfer called Sando.
Sando coaches and encourages the boys to take risks in the big waves, and Pikelet learns about more than just surfing. He learns about confidence and pushing oneself and taking risks. The boys also meet Sando's wife Eve, who is from the United States, and who isn't always tolerant of the boys being around.
Winton takes the idea of the immortality of youth, the quest to be extraordinary and makes it into a beautiful story.

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