Favel Parrett (2012) Past the Shallows. London, John Murray. 978-1-84854-750-6

 

This story is less about the domestic abuse between a husband and wife – although the fact that this had happened is suspected from the outset – but the story focusses on the abuse of three sons by their father, now a widower.
 
[Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence]
[Spoiler alert].
 
This story is set in a fishing community in Tasmania, and the book was initially published in Australia and New Zealand. The story is of three brothers, Joe, Miles and Harry and their relationship with their father who runs a fishing boat, diving for abalone. The reckless way he behaves at sea is reflective of the abusive and risky relationship he has with his sons. Joe has left home after a breakdown in his relationship with his father so Miles is now forced to go out to sea with his father and his working partner and frequently blamed whenever things go wrong for them. Harry, the youngest, is often left to fend for himself with neighbours caring for him. Joe and Miles surf together whenever they are able and the times spent on the water are the only times of joy in the life of the middle son, Miles, despite his anger at Joe for leaving him and Harry with their father.
 
Underlying it all is a question about what happened to the boys’ mother. This thrums in the background with increasing tension. It is clear she is dead but it gradually emerges she died in a car accident with the boys in back of the car. Later on, as Harry begins to recover memories of that day, more is revealed until the end where we find out that their father drove into the car head-on to prevent his wife leaving with his business partner. Both were killed in the crash, but the father took the body of the man – who it is suggested might be Harry’s father – out of the car and buried it elsewhere to avoid knowledge of their relationship.

 

Although the majority of the book doesn’t directly include the abuse the mother suffered at the hands of her husband, it is hinted at, and finally revealed along with the ultimate act of her murder at his hands. 

 

The author is a keen surfer and that is obvious from the way the sections where the two older boys go surfing is beautifully and poetically described. She has also drawn on her experiences of living in Hobart for seven years as a child.

Favel Parrett’s has said that the closeness of the boys’ relationship was reflective of her own relationship with her brother, a closeness which developed as a result of family breakdown. She has said “The way I feel about my brother is all in my writing. One of the worst things that could have happened to me when I was a child would have been losing my brother. Often siblings from broken families have to rely on each other because that’s all you’ve got. And it’s not like we didn’t fight but just not as much as other siblings. We always thought we’d be OK, no matter what happened in our family, because we had each other.”

    Awards:
·        Dobbie Literary Prize 2012
·        Australian Book Industry Awards for Newcomer of the Year 2012
 
And shortlisted for:
·        Miles Franklin Literary Award 2012
·        Australian Book Industry Awards for Book of the Year 2012
·        Australian Book Industry Awards for Literary Book of the Year 2012
·        The Indie Awards for Debut Fiction 2012
·        ABA’s Bookseller’s Choice Award 2012