Belinda Jeffrey’s second Young Adult novel is framed by the historic 1956 flooding along the Murray River, considered the worst of South Australia’s natural disasters. Like Tim Winton, Jeffrey has a Piscean affinity: water imagery swims throughout the narrative, sometimes in startling ways: ‘The thought faces him like a groper, fat and grotesque, in front of his eyes’, ‘His tongue is a rubber mullet and an empty ocean fills his head’, and ‘kissing is swimming with your mouth’. Jeffrey skilfully evokes a sense of place and of small town bustle – the gossipy smears, but also the camaraderie that proves vital when the river starts to swell and the residents have to rally around with sandbags. Memorable images such as the harvesting of oranges from a tinny boat are faithfully recorded; it is Jeffrey’s attention to detail, as well as her rounded characterisation, that makes the novel a rewarding read, for teenagers and adults alike.

CONTENTS: NOVEMBER 2010