He loves a challenge, but knows when his chances of survival aren’t so good.

But Pikelet has a better sense of self-preservation. He will try anything and for him, death-defying challenges are a way to show that he is better than Pikelet, more of a man. While he intuits how inappropriate she is in taking him into her confidence, Pikelet is also smitten with her. As she opens herself up to him, he finds himself trapped by her adult yearnings. Yet why she limps and why she is so angry is a secret-and uncovering it is dangerous for Pikelet. She understands that they are there, at least in part, to feed his ego.Įva has a limp. They are flattered by his attention, and learn that they have to ignore the snide comments Sando’s wife, Eva, makes about them and their relationship to Sando. Sando decides to mentor the boys in surfing bigger and more dangerous waves. But Pikelet must lie to his older, concerned folks in order to get away and challenge the waves since his father fears the ocean for reasons he keeps secret. Looney’s father is neglectful and abusive, so he can go out anytime without much trouble. They take up odd jobs in order to buy equipment. They love it and will do whatever it takes to have the chance to ride waves. They’d always enjoyed the water and holding their breath at the bottom of the river. They are Australian boys who have recently discovered the sport. When they meet Sando, friends Pikelet and Looney don’t know that he is a big wave surfer, well-known in some places and sometimes appearing in surf magazines. As the novel opens, he has arrived on the scene of what appears to be a teen suicide, a hanging. Which risks are worth it? How do you challenge yourself in a way that makes you grow as an individual? That can make you feel alive and so adrenaline-fueled that every day you’re ready and waiting for a new adventure? How do you keep from stepping over that invisible line where you are challenging death itself?īruce, nicknamed Pikelet as a teen, is a paramedic as an adult. There is nothing in the novel that would give an adult pause.īreath by Tim Winton Not only a great novel, but a great cover, too. As I wrote it for a school blog, I mentioned that some of the story’s action is for a mature audience-so FYI, I was thinking of 13-14 year olds. I reviewed the novel back in 2012 on my School Library Lady blog. Tightly-controlled, beautifully rendered-both in emotion and atmosphere- Breath has it all. If you want a painless-in fact, glorious-writing lesson from a master, read this book. I think he deserves a larger American audience-like rock-star status. Apparently, Winton is quite well known in Australia. I want to see this film, to see how it translates from the written word.

Tim winton's novel breath