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Floundering
Tom and Jordy have been living with their gran since the day their mother, Loretta, left them on her doorstep and disappeared.
Now Loretta’s returned, and she wants her boys back.
Tom and Jordy hit the road with Loretta in her beat-up car. The family of three journeys across the country, squabbling, bonding, searching and reconnecting.
But Loretta isn’t mother material. She’s broke, unreliable, lost. And there’s something else that’s not quite right with this reunion.
They reach the west coast and take refuge in a beachside caravan park. Their neighbour, a surly old man, warns the kids to stay away. But when Loretta disappears again the boys have no choice but to ask the old man for help, and now they face new threats and new fears.
This beautifully written and gripping debut is as moving as it is frightening, and as heartbreaking as it is tender.
Now Loretta’s returned, and she wants her boys back.
Tom and Jordy hit the road with Loretta in her beat-up car. The family of three journeys across the country, squabbling, bonding, searching and reconnecting.
But Loretta isn’t mother material. She’s broke, unreliable, lost. And there’s something else that’s not quite right with this reunion.
They reach the west coast and take refuge in a beachside caravan park. Their neighbour, a surly old man, warns the kids to stay away. But when Loretta disappears again the boys have no choice but to ask the old man for help, and now they face new threats and new fears.
This beautifully written and gripping debut is as moving as it is frightening, and as heartbreaking as it is tender.
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
533 people want to read
About the author
Romy Ash
11 books10 followersRomy Ash graduated from the Queensland University of Technology in 2001 and went on to become editor of Syntax Magazine.Her (research) Masters was awarded by the University of Melbourne (School of Culture and Communication) in 2009 for 'Dead Drunk', a thesis examining the representation of the drunk in Australian fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
May 1, 2013
‘I have that itchy skin feeling that someone is watching us.’
Tom and Jordy are brothers. They’ve been living with their grandparents since their mother Loretta left them on the doorstep one day. One day, as the boys are walking between home and school, Loretta turns up. ‘I’ve come to get you, she says.’ It will be fun, Loretta tells them. Jordy is not so sure, but he joins Tom in the car. Together the three of them set of in Loretta’s run-down car on a long journey to a mystery destination.
Tom is eleven, and the younger of the two brothers. He narrates the story – telling what he sees and describing his experiences. But when Loretta and the boys reach their destination – an isolated, dilapidated caravan near the sea – Loretta disappears again. This location does not live up to Loretta’s memory of it, and disappointment sets in quickly. Their near neighbour, Nev, tells the boys to stay away (for good reason as it turns out) but helps them at the end of the story.
The story unfolds through a series of small events which (somehow) largely bypass disaster. And yet danger is never very far away, at least to adult readers.
‘It feels like a dream anyway.’
‘Floundering’ is Romy Ash’s debut novel, and is included on the shortlist for the Miles Franklin Award 2013 which was announced earlier today. At just over 200 pages, it is a quick but haunting read. I literally could not put it down: I wanted Tom and Jordy to be safe, to be fed appropriately and to be cared for. I wanted Loretta to look beyond fun and find responsibility. I was pleased that Nev helped the boys, but wished he was more likeable. There is no neat ending to this story, and I was left wondering what would happen next – to Loretta, Tom, Jordy and Nev. ‘Floundering’ may relate to fishing (unsuccessfully in this case) for flounder, but it mostly relates to trying to make sense of people and life.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Tom and Jordy are brothers. They’ve been living with their grandparents since their mother Loretta left them on the doorstep one day. One day, as the boys are walking between home and school, Loretta turns up. ‘I’ve come to get you, she says.’ It will be fun, Loretta tells them. Jordy is not so sure, but he joins Tom in the car. Together the three of them set of in Loretta’s run-down car on a long journey to a mystery destination.
Tom is eleven, and the younger of the two brothers. He narrates the story – telling what he sees and describing his experiences. But when Loretta and the boys reach their destination – an isolated, dilapidated caravan near the sea – Loretta disappears again. This location does not live up to Loretta’s memory of it, and disappointment sets in quickly. Their near neighbour, Nev, tells the boys to stay away (for good reason as it turns out) but helps them at the end of the story.
The story unfolds through a series of small events which (somehow) largely bypass disaster. And yet danger is never very far away, at least to adult readers.
‘It feels like a dream anyway.’
‘Floundering’ is Romy Ash’s debut novel, and is included on the shortlist for the Miles Franklin Award 2013 which was announced earlier today. At just over 200 pages, it is a quick but haunting read. I literally could not put it down: I wanted Tom and Jordy to be safe, to be fed appropriately and to be cared for. I wanted Loretta to look beyond fun and find responsibility. I was pleased that Nev helped the boys, but wished he was more likeable. There is no neat ending to this story, and I was left wondering what would happen next – to Loretta, Tom, Jordy and Nev. ‘Floundering’ may relate to fishing (unsuccessfully in this case) for flounder, but it mostly relates to trying to make sense of people and life.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Read
October 24, 2017Very bleak.
May 1, 2012
I really feel like I should like this book, but I just can't.
Perhaps there's a part of me that feels 'un-Australian' for disliking it. The Australian iconography throughout Floundering is so true to the Aussie childhood, from Bubble O'Bills and Twisties, to sweltering summer road trips. It provokes that sense of warm-bellied nostalgia for the Australian childhood. But with a story that fails to really go anywhere, you realise the constant descriptives are just to disguise a husk of a story, and the narration becomes grating.
The character of the narrator, Tom, is annoying. He's a child, so I leave some allowance for that, as children generally irritate me. But it's not just his personality that's frustrating. Some of his metaphors are beautifully framed while still remaining within a child's language, but these moments are between others where the synaesthesia is far too adult. That a pre-pubescent child would describe sunburn blooming is beyond me. In other parts, Ash shifts the writing, as if she's trying to remind the reader that Tom is still a child. She suddenly starts replacing the word piss with wee, and the conjunction isn't with ain't before reverting back to writing like an adult once again. Though Tom's language is mostly more suited to the narration of an indie writer than an 11 year old boy, it would be more believable if it remained constant, and didn't shift at whim.
The story just seems to trudge on as an accurate account of events in the moments they happen. The backbone of the story is weak, without anything really growing from it... Dangerous and disturbing events occur, but they are left unresolved. There is no tension, no sense of feeling.
What particularly annoyed me was the character of Nev. Trying to figure out why he'd do something for the boys, or something to their detriment, was difficult, because his actions didn't really seem to come from any clear and consistent motivation.
So in summary, I suppose I think it could have been done better. If the author had taken less risky choices, narrating from a third-person perspective or maintaining consistent language, the story would have been more enjoyable. Seeing everything through Tom's eyes, through an underdeveloped mind, left events purposely without any greater meaning or feeling to them. I would say it's good enough if you don't have anything else better to read - but it's not really something I'd go looking for.
Perhaps there's a part of me that feels 'un-Australian' for disliking it. The Australian iconography throughout Floundering is so true to the Aussie childhood, from Bubble O'Bills and Twisties, to sweltering summer road trips. It provokes that sense of warm-bellied nostalgia for the Australian childhood. But with a story that fails to really go anywhere, you realise the constant descriptives are just to disguise a husk of a story, and the narration becomes grating.
The character of the narrator, Tom, is annoying. He's a child, so I leave some allowance for that, as children generally irritate me. But it's not just his personality that's frustrating. Some of his metaphors are beautifully framed while still remaining within a child's language, but these moments are between others where the synaesthesia is far too adult. That a pre-pubescent child would describe sunburn blooming is beyond me. In other parts, Ash shifts the writing, as if she's trying to remind the reader that Tom is still a child. She suddenly starts replacing the word piss with wee, and the conjunction isn't with ain't before reverting back to writing like an adult once again. Though Tom's language is mostly more suited to the narration of an indie writer than an 11 year old boy, it would be more believable if it remained constant, and didn't shift at whim.
The story just seems to trudge on as an accurate account of events in the moments they happen. The backbone of the story is weak, without anything really growing from it... Dangerous and disturbing events occur, but they are left unresolved. There is no tension, no sense of feeling.
What particularly annoyed me was the character of Nev. Trying to figure out why he'd do something for the boys, or something to their detriment, was difficult, because his actions didn't really seem to come from any clear and consistent motivation.
So in summary, I suppose I think it could have been done better. If the author had taken less risky choices, narrating from a third-person perspective or maintaining consistent language, the story would have been more enjoyable. Seeing everything through Tom's eyes, through an underdeveloped mind, left events purposely without any greater meaning or feeling to them. I would say it's good enough if you don't have anything else better to read - but it's not really something I'd go looking for.
October 20, 2023
An engaging short, realistic, concisely written novel about the dysfunctional Australian family of Loretta, Tom and Jordy. The novel begins with Loretta quietly and sedately kidnapping her sons, Jordy aged 13, and Tom aged 11. Loretta avoids speaking to her parents before taking her boys after they have left the schoolyard.
Jordy and Tom had been living with their grandparents, having been suddenly dumped at their grandparents house by Loretta years before! The story is narrated from Tom’s perspective.
Loretta takes the two boys on a long car journey, travelling interstate to a remote coastal beach where Loretta’s grandparents caravan is located. It is 40 kilometres to the nearest roadhouse to buy drinking water. Near the caravan lives an older man named Nev. The boys are left to themselves on a number of occasions.
Through Tom’s voice the reader feels his panicky fear, uncertain as to what his unpredictable, unreliable mother will do next. For example, her driving scares him, especially when he knows she has drank too much alcohol.
A good, gripping debut novel shortlisted for the 2013 Miles Franklin Award.
Jordy and Tom had been living with their grandparents, having been suddenly dumped at their grandparents house by Loretta years before! The story is narrated from Tom’s perspective.
Loretta takes the two boys on a long car journey, travelling interstate to a remote coastal beach where Loretta’s grandparents caravan is located. It is 40 kilometres to the nearest roadhouse to buy drinking water. Near the caravan lives an older man named Nev. The boys are left to themselves on a number of occasions.
Through Tom’s voice the reader feels his panicky fear, uncertain as to what his unpredictable, unreliable mother will do next. For example, her driving scares him, especially when he knows she has drank too much alcohol.
A good, gripping debut novel shortlisted for the 2013 Miles Franklin Award.
June 3, 2017
Read 1/3 and tossed it. Not buying the prose or Loretta. Artificial. Not for me.
October 18, 2014
This book took me by surprise.
I had got it out from the library before and never really got motivated enough to start it, so gradually it found it’s way back on our shelves. Recently, I decided to give it another go as the premise and cover intrigued me enough to not let go of the idea of reading it. I’m glad I didn’t, because it’s a rewarding, if at times disturbing, read.
In short, Floundering tells a harrowing tale of two brothers and their prodigal mum, back from a lengthy absence, who swifts the boys off one day after school on an unnerving journey across the country to a remote caravan park in WA. It’s here, that the journey really begins.
I loved the style of this book with its short sharp sentences that punch straight to the nature of the story and heart of it’s characters. It reminded me a little of Salter, with its quick, sharp jabs of prose. It’s a tight, well-crafted story, and the descriptions Ash imposes of a road trip across the Australian Nullarbor in summer, complete with sweat covered clothes and flies going up your nose, are brilliantly realistic. They brought back some childhood memories of the times me and my family took off on similar trips across the country (only less eventful, thankfully). I also found there was a great balance between these descriptive moments and what Ash leaves unsaid within the stories of these characters that really enhanced the experience, leaving the reader to think all kinds of scenarios while eagerly reading on. You really hurt to find out what happens to these brothers, as the more you read, the more invested in the story you feel. I do remember thinking at times, ‘if I were a parent, I’d probably be even more disturbed by this.’
Given this is a first novel, Ash has done an outstanding job and is one to watch for sure.
I had got it out from the library before and never really got motivated enough to start it, so gradually it found it’s way back on our shelves. Recently, I decided to give it another go as the premise and cover intrigued me enough to not let go of the idea of reading it. I’m glad I didn’t, because it’s a rewarding, if at times disturbing, read.
In short, Floundering tells a harrowing tale of two brothers and their prodigal mum, back from a lengthy absence, who swifts the boys off one day after school on an unnerving journey across the country to a remote caravan park in WA. It’s here, that the journey really begins.
I loved the style of this book with its short sharp sentences that punch straight to the nature of the story and heart of it’s characters. It reminded me a little of Salter, with its quick, sharp jabs of prose. It’s a tight, well-crafted story, and the descriptions Ash imposes of a road trip across the Australian Nullarbor in summer, complete with sweat covered clothes and flies going up your nose, are brilliantly realistic. They brought back some childhood memories of the times me and my family took off on similar trips across the country (only less eventful, thankfully). I also found there was a great balance between these descriptive moments and what Ash leaves unsaid within the stories of these characters that really enhanced the experience, leaving the reader to think all kinds of scenarios while eagerly reading on. You really hurt to find out what happens to these brothers, as the more you read, the more invested in the story you feel. I do remember thinking at times, ‘if I were a parent, I’d probably be even more disturbed by this.’
Given this is a first novel, Ash has done an outstanding job and is one to watch for sure.
January 5, 2013
I reckon this book is absolutely brilliant.
(A disclaimer: I know Romy Ash, and think she is a nice person as well as a brilliant writer.)
That said, I'm pretty confident I would consider "Floundering" to be Australia's pre-apocalyptic, pre-adolescent answer to Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" no matter who wrote it.
Gorgeous stark brutal prose.
Gloriously garbled snytax.
Proper rigorous editing.
A fine book.
(A disclaimer: I know Romy Ash, and think she is a nice person as well as a brilliant writer.)
That said, I'm pretty confident I would consider "Floundering" to be Australia's pre-apocalyptic, pre-adolescent answer to Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" no matter who wrote it.
Gorgeous stark brutal prose.
Gloriously garbled snytax.
Proper rigorous editing.
A fine book.
August 21, 2023
the writing is good and smooth, but why no quotation marks that’s annoying af, the story does seem realistic ( sadly :( ), but tbh i feel like it would be better if it started out with them still at their grandparents and ended less abruptly
November 26, 2018
Been in Bookclub
October 18, 2020
Mesmerising and so evocative. I would have given 5 stars except the author did not use speech marks and the end was a little slow. What a shame that this book by an Australian author had not been more widely read
September 24, 2020
Gosh, the way Romy Ash describes all the little moments from the point of view of Tom is astounding. How a mind of someone so young was perfectly encapsulated is beyond me. I remember having this frame of mind or similar at that young age and yet I feel like I cant capture those similar thoughts as well as Romy has done here with 'Floundering'.
Despite all that... an ever intriguing read. It dips but enthrals in its steady flow, I’m glad I got through it.
Despite all that... an ever intriguing read. It dips but enthrals in its steady flow, I’m glad I got through it.
May 4, 2012
I had some preconceived notion about 'Floundering' that made me think I wouldn't enjoy it. The tendency of Australian literary novels to try to capture a family instead of a plot just doesn't appeal to my need for strong, complicated storylines. I'm also tired of authors trying to portray the essence of Australia. It's a difficult endeavour and many authors fall short, stray into cliche or utilise extreme landscapes that just aren't indicative of everyday life for many Australians.
Floundering's portrayal of Australia is easily the best I've come across and it wasn't overstated, merely being the setting for the children's journey. It's so easy to identify with simple things like the continual itching of a sandfly bite or that feeling when you get a peek of the ocean or being terrified of kangaroos jumping in front of the car. Her characterisation of Australia is subtle, beautiful and very visual and brought to mind so much of my own childhood.
Admittedly it is not a complicated plot but it was easy to become invested in the welfare of the children as they experience these quintessential Australian moments with an undercurrent of fear.
Tom's narration did not bug me as it did other reviewers. I think Romy Ash needed to use descriptive language outside that of a child to properly portray the landscape and to give life beyond the innocence of childish observations. Personally I loved Tom's voice. He was such a sweet kid and I enjoyed the dynamic between him and Jordy.
Where Floundering lost a star for me was in the scene between Nev and Jordy (you'll know it when you come across it). This took the book somewhere dark and taboo, and detracted from what could be a great Australian novel. I don't believe it advanced the story or gave any further depth to the characters that couldn't have been accomplished in other ways.
Floundering took me from a mindset of resistance to one of great admiration and I believe that if Favel Parrett is nominated for the Miles Franklin award, Ash certainly deserves equal acclaim.
Floundering's portrayal of Australia is easily the best I've come across and it wasn't overstated, merely being the setting for the children's journey. It's so easy to identify with simple things like the continual itching of a sandfly bite or that feeling when you get a peek of the ocean or being terrified of kangaroos jumping in front of the car. Her characterisation of Australia is subtle, beautiful and very visual and brought to mind so much of my own childhood.
Admittedly it is not a complicated plot but it was easy to become invested in the welfare of the children as they experience these quintessential Australian moments with an undercurrent of fear.
Tom's narration did not bug me as it did other reviewers. I think Romy Ash needed to use descriptive language outside that of a child to properly portray the landscape and to give life beyond the innocence of childish observations. Personally I loved Tom's voice. He was such a sweet kid and I enjoyed the dynamic between him and Jordy.
Where Floundering lost a star for me was in the scene between Nev and Jordy (you'll know it when you come across it). This took the book somewhere dark and taboo, and detracted from what could be a great Australian novel. I don't believe it advanced the story or gave any further depth to the characters that couldn't have been accomplished in other ways.
Floundering took me from a mindset of resistance to one of great admiration and I believe that if Favel Parrett is nominated for the Miles Franklin award, Ash certainly deserves equal acclaim.
December 9, 2012
There is a lot to like about this book.
The opening section where Tom and Jordy are picked up on their way home by Loretta (their mum who has been missing for years) is equally powerful and frightening. She is such a flake that the reader (that'd be me) has absolutely no belief that she will being the boys anything but heartbreak and broken promises.
Over the course of a few weeks Romy Ash has totally turned the lives of her two young protagonists on its head, has managed to capture one summer which has irrevocably changed them - not necessarily for the better, but changed them nonetheless.
This is a road trip book.
Loretta is supposed to be a free spirit and she is certainly written with a bit of pathos but not a complete 'get out of jail card'. Her actions are never justified, although the reader can understand her decisions.
The unfolding of events is tragic, and not just for the two boys. Tom suffers the most, probably, but he is also resourceful enough to get himself out of trouble (even if he has to resort to blackmail to achieve this).
I read this book shortly after reading Favel Parret's 'Past the Shallows' - and that's probably impacted on my review here. Romy Ash is a great storyteller, but Favel Parret managed to go just that little bit further, just that little bit more artful and precise.
Floundering is a good book. It will send you on a rollercoaster of emotions. It evokes the Australian settings well, especially the Western Australian beach.
The opening section where Tom and Jordy are picked up on their way home by Loretta (their mum who has been missing for years) is equally powerful and frightening. She is such a flake that the reader (that'd be me) has absolutely no belief that she will being the boys anything but heartbreak and broken promises.
Over the course of a few weeks Romy Ash has totally turned the lives of her two young protagonists on its head, has managed to capture one summer which has irrevocably changed them - not necessarily for the better, but changed them nonetheless.
This is a road trip book.
Loretta is supposed to be a free spirit and she is certainly written with a bit of pathos but not a complete 'get out of jail card'. Her actions are never justified, although the reader can understand her decisions.
The unfolding of events is tragic, and not just for the two boys. Tom suffers the most, probably, but he is also resourceful enough to get himself out of trouble (even if he has to resort to blackmail to achieve this).
I read this book shortly after reading Favel Parret's 'Past the Shallows' - and that's probably impacted on my review here. Romy Ash is a great storyteller, but Favel Parret managed to go just that little bit further, just that little bit more artful and precise.
Floundering is a good book. It will send you on a rollercoaster of emotions. It evokes the Australian settings well, especially the Western Australian beach.
July 2, 2014
Floundering by Romy Ash is a quiet, contemplative and disturbing novel about two young boys caught in the conflict between what they wish for and a harsh reality. Motherhood is not easy for some women. For Loretta, there is some desire to have a life with her two sons but that desire is lost in a haze of self-indulgence and wanting what is "hers"; wanting a life that she has no capability to create. Left to deal with the mess of her "dream" are her children Tom and Jordy.
Tom, the younger boy, narrates the story with a mix of childish optimism, intelligence, fear and dread. There is no happy ending for Tom and his brother Jordy, and the road trip with their mother deteriorates as the days drag on. The novel is filled with images of unbearable heat and boredom contrasted with the easygoing beach camping holidays being enjoyed by others around them.
The book is tightly written, adding to the sense of foreboding and dread. The part of the story that intrigued me the most was the boys' attachment to the shark they caught and dragged back to their stifling caravan. I'm still thinking about that shark, and what it means.
If you're looking for action or adventure this is not the story for you. But Floundering is a well-drawn portrait of the harsh realities of the lives of some kids in Australia. If you ever wonder why some people don't turn out well, this novel will give you some clues. Highly recommended.
Tom, the younger boy, narrates the story with a mix of childish optimism, intelligence, fear and dread. There is no happy ending for Tom and his brother Jordy, and the road trip with their mother deteriorates as the days drag on. The novel is filled with images of unbearable heat and boredom contrasted with the easygoing beach camping holidays being enjoyed by others around them.
The book is tightly written, adding to the sense of foreboding and dread. The part of the story that intrigued me the most was the boys' attachment to the shark they caught and dragged back to their stifling caravan. I'm still thinking about that shark, and what it means.
If you're looking for action or adventure this is not the story for you. But Floundering is a well-drawn portrait of the harsh realities of the lives of some kids in Australia. If you ever wonder why some people don't turn out well, this novel will give you some clues. Highly recommended.
July 4, 2013
I read this book for the sole reason that it was one of only two on the Miles Franklin shortlist I thought sounded intriguing.
This was one of those books where the main reason why I love it is because of the author's characterisation. Tom was clear from the beginning, but I loved watching Jordy and Nev become more and more clear and complex as I read on.
For some reason, this book reminded me a lot of my favourite read of last year, Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett. That's probably the main reason stopping me from giving it 5 stars - I kept saying to myself, 'It's good, but not as good as Past the Shallows.'
But, if you love watching characters develop and come into their own over the course of a few hundred pages, and you are able to deal with some pretty full on things happening to kids, you could do a lot worse than reading this book.
This was one of those books where the main reason why I love it is because of the author's characterisation. Tom was clear from the beginning, but I loved watching Jordy and Nev become more and more clear and complex as I read on.
For some reason, this book reminded me a lot of my favourite read of last year, Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett. That's probably the main reason stopping me from giving it 5 stars - I kept saying to myself, 'It's good, but not as good as Past the Shallows.'
But, if you love watching characters develop and come into their own over the course of a few hundred pages, and you are able to deal with some pretty full on things happening to kids, you could do a lot worse than reading this book.
June 29, 2013
I read this over a couple of hours and found it completely engaging. This is not a book for the masses, in fact I can see how many people would dislike it - it is told all from the POV of an 11 year old boy, most of the story is uncomfortable, and there is the matter of the writer not using quotation marks (one of my pet peeves). The reason I found it so gripping is that you fall in love with these two boys and really care for their welfare and their future. Not that they are particularly nice or good, but that their crappy life has been thrown at them and they love their mum who doesn't respect them and nurture them as she should. I also loved how the writer described country Australia. I could feel the heat, the sand, salt and see the animals. In some ways she writes like Tim Winton but much simpler (and thankfully shorter books!)
January 17, 2014
Had I written this book–had I constructed the lyricism of it, the poetry of it, the subtlety of it–I would have been very, very pleased with myself. There is not a single extraneous word. Not one. Ash doesn’t tell the story of these boys as much as she just leaves it somewhere you might find it, fully formed, as though it was just breathed onto the page and not written at all. Well deserving of all of its accolades, Floundering is a kind of snippet of a life, starting and ending exactly where it is supposed to. It is told in suggestion, allegory, hints, shadows.
The narrative is so moving and the writing so perfect that I bought the book twice, in case I needed a swig of it when I was in my car.
The narrative is so moving and the writing so perfect that I bought the book twice, in case I needed a swig of it when I was in my car.
April 9, 2013
I spent far too long writing a review, longer than it took to read the book. That’s because I found the book inadequate but didn’t really want to criticise the work of a young writer at the beginning of her career. I had noted the book when it was released and dismissed its subject matter as not of any interest to me, but felt I had to read the novel when it made the Miles Franklin longlist.
Floundering is a promising debut, but IMO it is nonsense to suggest that Floundering is a book of the highest literary merit.
To read my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2013/04/09/fl...
Floundering is a promising debut, but IMO it is nonsense to suggest that Floundering is a book of the highest literary merit.
To read my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2013/04/09/fl...
September 27, 2015
This book cannot fail to affect you.
It's dark, it's disturbing, it pulls on your heart strings, it makes you hope for a happy ending.
This is totally my kind of read.
It's not classic literature. By that I mean it's not con-formative to "how a book should be written".
Those poor boys. I was with them all the way.
Brilliant work of Australian literature. I felt the dirt and the sand in the sunburn!
The reason for it not getting 5 stars is simply because for me, it ended too soon.
It's dark, it's disturbing, it pulls on your heart strings, it makes you hope for a happy ending.
This is totally my kind of read.
It's not classic literature. By that I mean it's not con-formative to "how a book should be written".
Those poor boys. I was with them all the way.
Brilliant work of Australian literature. I felt the dirt and the sand in the sunburn!
The reason for it not getting 5 stars is simply because for me, it ended too soon.
May 16, 2012
A gorgeous debut Australian fiction. This novel follows brothers, Tom and Jordy, after their feckless mother, Loretta, comes and grabs them after school one day and takes them on a road trip. The characters are well written and the pace builds well as yours fears for the boys grow. Well worth reading and an author I will be looking out for in the future!
July 3, 2012
Oh my goodness, what a read. It is very simply written, moves fast enough, I enjoyed this book from front cover to back cover. Quick to read, it did not finish the way I thought and some will be disappointed with the ending. Without spoiling it, it is a great read and some people should not be parents.
June 15, 2012
Sky interviewed Romy Ash about Floundering, travelling to remote Australian communities, and what happens when you start speaking like your protagonists. Originally broadcast on 4ZZZ Book Club on 31 May 2012.
October 3, 2013
Great book! Hard to read, but wonderfully written at the same time. It's heartbreaking to know that there are children out there, for whom life is exactly like it is for the characters in this book, but for real.
June 20, 2014
A very hard story to read. Takes place in Australia. A very easy to believe story told from a child's point of view about a road trip with his mom--who probably should never have been a mom.
October 23, 2017
Can't say I enjoyed this book, but admired some aspects of it.
On the plus side it is an acutely observed novel with some great descriptive writing and convincing dialogue.
On the negative, that same dialogue doesn't use quotation marks - 'WHY?' Interestingly this matters less when reading very rapidly, but trying to unpick the dialogue at slower reading pace is unrewarding and confusing.
The narrative is relentlessly bleak, a 'road-trip' through Australia's underbelly, that translates all too easily to NZ. There are few moments of short-lived positivity. There is danger and excitement, though this is often surreal or dreamlike. Understanding the novel's subtexts made me feel quite sad. I just don't know what a mid-teen reader would find here. Younger readers could need a debrief around some of the content.
On the plus side it is an acutely observed novel with some great descriptive writing and convincing dialogue.
On the negative, that same dialogue doesn't use quotation marks - 'WHY?' Interestingly this matters less when reading very rapidly, but trying to unpick the dialogue at slower reading pace is unrewarding and confusing.
The narrative is relentlessly bleak, a 'road-trip' through Australia's underbelly, that translates all too easily to NZ. There are few moments of short-lived positivity. There is danger and excitement, though this is often surreal or dreamlike. Understanding the novel's subtexts made me feel quite sad. I just don't know what a mid-teen reader would find here. Younger readers could need a debrief around some of the content.
October 9, 2018
The relationship between the two brothers reminded me very much of the relationship I had with my brother at the same age. There is only 18 months difference between us, myself being the younger brother. For me their relationship rang true. Fortunately, we had a stable loving mother...
July 27, 2017
My heart aches for these two boys. I don't know if "enjoyed" is the right word for this book but I was consumed by it.
August 20, 2017
3 1/2 Fast paced, well written and enjoyable.
May 12, 2018
very very heartbreaking and confronting. Well worth the read
January 20, 2019
Faaaaaarrk that was depressing.
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