Everyone loves Harry. Everyone except his father.
Three brothers, Joe, Miles and Harry, are growing up on the remote south coast of Tasmania. The brother' lives are shaped by their father's moods - like the ocean he fishes, his is wild and unpredictable. He is a bitter man, warped by a devastating secret.
Miles tries his best to watch out for Harry, the youngest, but he can't be there all the time. Often alone, Harry finds joy in the small treasure he discovers, in the shark eggs and cuttlefish bones. In a kelpie pup, a big mug of Milo, and a secret friendship with a mysterious neighbour. But sometimes small treasures, or a brother's love, are not enough.
Winner, Newcomer of the Year, Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), 2012Winner, Dobbie Literary Award, 2012
Listed on the NSW and Victorian school curriculum PRAISE for PAST THE SHALLOWS:
'that rare thing, a finely crafted literary novel that is genuinely moving and full of heart' THE AGE
'an understated and beautifully penned story set on the Tasmanian coast, gives voice to two brothers as their lives are influenced by unpredictable forces....Parrett's writing is exquisite in its simplicity and eloquence, and her narrative is heart-rending.This poignant story resonates.' KIRKUS REVIEWS, USA
'Beautiful, stripped-back prose...there is magic here. Like Cormac McCarthy, Parrett packs a huge emotional punch thanks to the elegant brevity of her style. Stark, but unforgettable...' MARIE CLAIRE, UK
'If you read only one book this year make sure it's this.' THE SUNDAY TIMES, Tasmania
'Wintonesque' HERALD SUN
'I loved
Past the Shallows' Kevin Powers, author of THE YELLOW BIRDS
Industry Reviews
I loved Past the Shallows - Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds
This is an extraordinary debut novel, part psychological family drama, part mystery, part painful rite of passage, engulfed in the wild isolation and natural richness of the Tasmanian coast. Favel's intimate understanding of this rugged heel of the world seeps through every pore of this book. - The Australian Woman's Weekly
This book is that rare thing, a finely crafted literary novel that is genuinely moving and full of heart. - The Age
Parrett's starkly precise evocation of Tasmania's winter landscape [is] compelling. The book's tragic outcome leaves the reader feeling genuinely bereft. - The Guardian, UK
Beautiful, stripped-back prose...there is magic here. Like Cormac McCarthy, Parrett packs a huge emotional punch thanks to the elegant brevity of her style. Stark, but unforgettable. - Marie Claire Magazine, UK
