Review
WL Rating
Fans of Kem Nunn will likely enjoy this book as much as I did. Like Nunn, Tim Winton is able to craft slightly dark, introspective novels where surfing features as an important supporting theme, but not the novel’s main premise. The novel is a classic coming-of-age story with the main character, Bruce, looking back to how adolescence shaped him as an adult. Along with his best mate Loonie, Bruce begins surfing in a remote part of Australia. Not surprisingly, he starts off as a kook but through the dysfunctional tutelage of an aging, isolated world-class surfer (Sando), he and Loonie evolve into big wave riding hellmen. Sando’s enigmatic wife Eva emerges as a sensual, yet damaged character that slowly drags Bruce into a bizarre relationship that provides the shaky foundation for the rest of his life. As the title suggest, the idea of “breathing” is a thread woven throughout the narrative, serving as a delicate link between adolescence, risk, big wave surfing and self-destructive behavior. Breath has been awarded and shortlisted for numerous accolades, and for good reason. It’s an excellent book and definitely worth a read. (May 2009)
Breath - Tim Winton
