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That Eye, the Sky
In this modern Australian classic, award-winning author Tim Winton tells the story of young Ort Flack and his struggle to come to grips with the forces pulling his family apart. An extraordinary snapshot of boyhood, That Eye, the Sky is also a powerful exploration of the nature of hope and faith.
Ort doesn't have a bad life. He mucks around with his best pal, Fat Cherry; he wonders what his sister Tegwyn's so mad about and why his grandma's disappeared inside herself; he looks up at the sky and thinks it's like a big blue eye looking right back at him. But when Dad isn't back from work when he's supposed to be and a strange car pulls into the drive, Ort's life is thrown into turmoil. Suddenly, Mum doesn't seem as strong as she used to, Fat starts saying bad things, and the stranger knocking on the door seems to know an awful lot about the Flacks.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Tim Winton
79 books2,463 followersTim Winton was born in Perth, Western Australia, but moved at a young age to the small country town of Albany.
While a student at Curtin University of Technology, Winton wrote his first novel, An Open Swimmer. It went on to win The Australian/Vogel Literary Award in 1981, and launched his writing career. In fact, he wrote "the best part of three books while at university". His second book, Shallows, won the Miles Franklin Award in 1984. It wasn't until Cloudstreet was published in 1991, however, that his career and economic future were cemented.
In 1995 Winton’s novel, The Riders, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, as was his 2002 book, Dirt Music. Both are currently being adapted for film. He has won many other prizes, including the Miles Franklin Award three times: for Shallows (1984), Cloudstreet (1992) and Dirt Music (2002). Cloudstreet is arguably his best-known work, regularly appearing in lists of Australia’s best-loved novels. His latest novel, released in 2013, is called Eyrie.
He is now one of Australia's most esteemed novelists, writing for both adults and children. All his books are still in print and have been published in eighteen different languages. His work has also been successfully adapted for stage, screen and radio. On the publication of his novel, Dirt Music, he collaborated with broadcaster, Lucky Oceans, to produce a compilation CD, Dirt Music – Music for a Novel.
He has lived in Italy, France, Ireland and Greece but currently lives in Western Australia with his wife and three children.
While a student at Curtin University of Technology, Winton wrote his first novel, An Open Swimmer. It went on to win The Australian/Vogel Literary Award in 1981, and launched his writing career. In fact, he wrote "the best part of three books while at university". His second book, Shallows, won the Miles Franklin Award in 1984. It wasn't until Cloudstreet was published in 1991, however, that his career and economic future were cemented.
In 1995 Winton’s novel, The Riders, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, as was his 2002 book, Dirt Music. Both are currently being adapted for film. He has won many other prizes, including the Miles Franklin Award three times: for Shallows (1984), Cloudstreet (1992) and Dirt Music (2002). Cloudstreet is arguably his best-known work, regularly appearing in lists of Australia’s best-loved novels. His latest novel, released in 2013, is called Eyrie.
He is now one of Australia's most esteemed novelists, writing for both adults and children. All his books are still in print and have been published in eighteen different languages. His work has also been successfully adapted for stage, screen and radio. On the publication of his novel, Dirt Music, he collaborated with broadcaster, Lucky Oceans, to produce a compilation CD, Dirt Music – Music for a Novel.
He has lived in Italy, France, Ireland and Greece but currently lives in Western Australia with his wife and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
January 16, 2018
I thought I'd give some Australian literature a try...
I enjoyed the early parts of the novel. Winton manages to evoke my childhood - I would have been about 5 years younger than the protagonist when the book was released, and living in a similar semi-rural, semi-suburban setting, though adjacent to a different city, and in less dire circumstances. He really captures the eternal boredom and freedom of long summer days spent "mucking around", and getting into trouble. At times the dialect felt authentic and natural, at other times I was cringing at the overuse of clichéd Australianisms, with sentences like, "I stuff my essay on 'The Brave Anzacs at Gallipoli' into me schoolbag and Mum stuffs in a bag of Vegemite sangers." (no kidding, that is an actual sentence from the book).
But things take a turn for the worse when a mysterious stranger appears at the door. The blurb promises that "That Eye, The Sky is about a boy's vision of the world beyond, about the blurry distinctions between the natural and the supernatural". But let's not beat around the bush. What the stranger brings is Jesus, and the family immediately accepts Him, and the book clearly wants you to accept Him too. This goes beyond being a story about religious people - the novel is trying to proselytize. So much so that I kept checking the covers to make sure there wasn't a hidden "Scripture Union" (another memory from my childhood) stamp somewhere. This is the book an evangelical pastor might give to that kid from the rough part of town, to show him that it's cool to believe in God, and that Jesus loves even the poor and the stupid.
The entire second half of the book is spent in prayer and contemplation about God and faith. It is not good. The ending is truly awful.
I enjoyed the early parts of the novel. Winton manages to evoke my childhood - I would have been about 5 years younger than the protagonist when the book was released, and living in a similar semi-rural, semi-suburban setting, though adjacent to a different city, and in less dire circumstances. He really captures the eternal boredom and freedom of long summer days spent "mucking around", and getting into trouble. At times the dialect felt authentic and natural, at other times I was cringing at the overuse of clichéd Australianisms, with sentences like, "I stuff my essay on 'The Brave Anzacs at Gallipoli' into me schoolbag and Mum stuffs in a bag of Vegemite sangers." (no kidding, that is an actual sentence from the book).
But things take a turn for the worse when a mysterious stranger appears at the door. The blurb promises that "That Eye, The Sky is about a boy's vision of the world beyond, about the blurry distinctions between the natural and the supernatural". But let's not beat around the bush. What the stranger brings is Jesus, and the family immediately accepts Him, and the book clearly wants you to accept Him too. This goes beyond being a story about religious people - the novel is trying to proselytize. So much so that I kept checking the covers to make sure there wasn't a hidden "Scripture Union" (another memory from my childhood) stamp somewhere. This is the book an evangelical pastor might give to that kid from the rough part of town, to show him that it's cool to believe in God, and that Jesus loves even the poor and the stupid.
The entire second half of the book is spent in prayer and contemplation about God and faith. It is not good. The ending is truly awful.
July 16, 2026
3.5/5
It's hard to give this an honest review as I was picking it up and putting it down over two months.
I think Winton captured the eternal boredom of living rurally as a kid. I found myself drifting out of focus with the plot but the writing always drew me back.
At it's core I think this is a story about a young boy, Ort, realising his parents are not perfect and that not all adults are moral. He doesn't have the language to explain this directly and the audience needs to do the heavy lifting of working out his feelings. It's also a story about choosing hope or survival. I think that hope for these characters, especially for Orts's mum, is necessary to keep going for those around them.
The character of Henry Warburton is an underlying threat throughout the second part of the story. I didn't read too closely but I find it staggering some people consider this novel to be beating it's audience over the head with christianity. Nothing about the religious characters are presented sympathetically.
It's hard to give this an honest review as I was picking it up and putting it down over two months.
I think Winton captured the eternal boredom of living rurally as a kid. I found myself drifting out of focus with the plot but the writing always drew me back.
At it's core I think this is a story about a young boy, Ort, realising his parents are not perfect and that not all adults are moral. He doesn't have the language to explain this directly and the audience needs to do the heavy lifting of working out his feelings. It's also a story about choosing hope or survival. I think that hope for these characters, especially for Orts's mum, is necessary to keep going for those around them.
The character of Henry Warburton is an underlying threat throughout the second part of the story. I didn't read too closely but I find it staggering some people consider this novel to be beating it's audience over the head with christianity. Nothing about the religious characters are presented sympathetically.
August 8, 2023
One of Tim Winton’s early novels that I hadn’t read before. It’s of course well written and told from the point of view of 12yo Ort Flack who lives in the bush with his parents, teenage sister and grandmother with dementia. His father has a car accident and after he wakes from a coma he is returned home but unable to do anything for himself. That’s when a man called Henry arrives on the doorstep and offers to help. The story turns a bit spiritual and Ort is looking for meaning in the world so it’s understandable that he wants to believe in something. The ending is quite abrupt and for me not unexpected. Not everything is explained and not all ends tied up but it does work for the most part although one wonders why Ort’s mother ever let Henry in the house to start with.
January 22, 2009
I would recommend that eye, the sky to fiction readers, but a lot of people will probably go away from it unsatisfied. There is a LOT to this story for which the author leaves no explanation and this may frustrate some people. Me, I love quirky writing and I know that I'll be mulling this book over in my head for a while now that I've finished it. For anyone who hasn't read a Tim Winton novel, I wouldn't suggest you start with this one -- try The Riders or Dirt Music (I haven't read anything else by him, but I did like the two I just listed). I plan to get my hands on every book this man has written.
On page 102, it's Christmas Eve morning and the Flack family is having breakfast. Twelve year-old Morton Flack, called Ort, offers a prayer: "Jesus fix us up. We're breaking to bits here." This one line sort of captures the flavor of the entire novel. Set in Australia, the story is told from Ort's perspective. After a tragic car accident, the life he once knew changes. Ort lives with his mom, Alice, Sam, his father; his teenage sister is Tegwyn and there is Grammar his grandmother who is old and perhaps a bit senile. The family got by by raising chickens and their own veggies; Sam took on the odd job or two. One morning, though, Ort learns that his father was in a car accident and after that life completely changed for everyone, but perhaps most keenly felt by Ort. The biggest change of all, though is the appearance of Henry Warburton, who shows up to "nurse" Sam, home from the hospital but unable to function. While Ort is busy trying to make sense of all of the changes, Henry is trying to atone and expiate for something that happened in his past. Ort just keeps praying for a miracle as his household falls apart.
You really have to take this one slowly. It is well worth the time and effort if you put some thought into it. If you're looking for straightforward plot line or everything neatly tied up in a bow at the end, you're going to be disappointed. This is a tough book to read, but beautifully written & sort of reaffirms your faith in the power of a child's love.
On page 102, it's Christmas Eve morning and the Flack family is having breakfast. Twelve year-old Morton Flack, called Ort, offers a prayer: "Jesus fix us up. We're breaking to bits here." This one line sort of captures the flavor of the entire novel. Set in Australia, the story is told from Ort's perspective. After a tragic car accident, the life he once knew changes. Ort lives with his mom, Alice, Sam, his father; his teenage sister is Tegwyn and there is Grammar his grandmother who is old and perhaps a bit senile. The family got by by raising chickens and their own veggies; Sam took on the odd job or two. One morning, though, Ort learns that his father was in a car accident and after that life completely changed for everyone, but perhaps most keenly felt by Ort. The biggest change of all, though is the appearance of Henry Warburton, who shows up to "nurse" Sam, home from the hospital but unable to function. While Ort is busy trying to make sense of all of the changes, Henry is trying to atone and expiate for something that happened in his past. Ort just keeps praying for a miracle as his household falls apart.
You really have to take this one slowly. It is well worth the time and effort if you put some thought into it. If you're looking for straightforward plot line or everything neatly tied up in a bow at the end, you're going to be disappointed. This is a tough book to read, but beautifully written & sort of reaffirms your faith in the power of a child's love.
February 6, 2016
I read this short novel in a night and enjoyed it. What really struck me was an echo of Flannery O'Connor's majestic story 'The Life You Save May Be Your Own' maybe due to the arrival of the mysterious vagrant, the invocations to God and aspects of the ending. There is no doubt Winton is a good writer. His narrator, a 12 year old boy, is brought to life with a realistic voice and is a charming, believable character because of this success. Let's face it, writers don't always do this well. Trying to inhabit a child's mindset can lead to extraordinary riches.. check out my reviews of
and
...or to the misfit that is a young child whose mouth is filled with an adult's words
But Winton manages such keen, quirky observation of the world (something us grown-ups tend to fail at) that the work feels, in some sense, a vital one. The family's isolation from the community, the sense that they have sacrificed a great deal to follow their dreams, is captured well and makes the tragedy of the story all the more searing.
The problem, for me, comes with the element of the work that people have referred to as 'supernatural' but I would identify as 'spiritual.' I had a strong feeling by the end of the novel that I had read something that was evangelical in its nature and that is not my bag at all- hence 3 stars as opposed to more.
and
...or to the misfit that is a young child whose mouth is filled with an adult's words
But Winton manages such keen, quirky observation of the world (something us grown-ups tend to fail at) that the work feels, in some sense, a vital one. The family's isolation from the community, the sense that they have sacrificed a great deal to follow their dreams, is captured well and makes the tragedy of the story all the more searing.
The problem, for me, comes with the element of the work that people have referred to as 'supernatural' but I would identify as 'spiritual.' I had a strong feeling by the end of the novel that I had read something that was evangelical in its nature and that is not my bag at all- hence 3 stars as opposed to more.
May 15, 2011
“That Eye, the Sky” is one of Winton’s earlier novels, written in 1986—the third of his currently 9 novels for adults and published before “Cloudstreet”. It has also been made into a movie.
The narrator is a 12 year old boy (Morton Flack, Ort for short) on the verge of adolescence who sees and understands the world and his family through maturing eyes. Much that surrounds Ort is either broken or damaged—as are most of Winton’s characters in his other novels. But the supernatural also inhabits Ort’s world: a strain of magic realism that envelopes him protectively as the family’s struggles unfold.
Ort’s immediate world is small: his father Sam, mother Alice, grandmother, sister Tegwyn, friend Fat Cherry and intruder Henry Warburton. And it becomes strongly conflicted when, in the opening pages, his dad has an automobile accident that leaves him in a coma. The accident not only immobilizes the father but it also challenges the family’s cohesiveness and resistance.
What captivates me about Winton’s novels are not only the stories that he weaves but the prose that envelopes his characters. Winton essentially paints with words. A one point, Ort and his sister are swimming:
“Tegwyn ad me duck and dive and swim around. Tegwyn stands on her hands so her legs come out the water and people whistle. Then the whole place goes mad. People swimming out to sea, wading, paddling at the water with their hands. Blokes on surfboards turning round and going like hell. Takes me a while to see the big lines coming in like a convoy of wheat trucks, some with bits of white blowing back off the top like wheat dust coming off the load.”
The linkage of the ocean’s waves with the wheat harvest is both fresh and evocative. It is writing like that that sets Winton apart.
The narrator is a 12 year old boy (Morton Flack, Ort for short) on the verge of adolescence who sees and understands the world and his family through maturing eyes. Much that surrounds Ort is either broken or damaged—as are most of Winton’s characters in his other novels. But the supernatural also inhabits Ort’s world: a strain of magic realism that envelopes him protectively as the family’s struggles unfold.
Ort’s immediate world is small: his father Sam, mother Alice, grandmother, sister Tegwyn, friend Fat Cherry and intruder Henry Warburton. And it becomes strongly conflicted when, in the opening pages, his dad has an automobile accident that leaves him in a coma. The accident not only immobilizes the father but it also challenges the family’s cohesiveness and resistance.
What captivates me about Winton’s novels are not only the stories that he weaves but the prose that envelopes his characters. Winton essentially paints with words. A one point, Ort and his sister are swimming:
“Tegwyn ad me duck and dive and swim around. Tegwyn stands on her hands so her legs come out the water and people whistle. Then the whole place goes mad. People swimming out to sea, wading, paddling at the water with their hands. Blokes on surfboards turning round and going like hell. Takes me a while to see the big lines coming in like a convoy of wheat trucks, some with bits of white blowing back off the top like wheat dust coming off the load.”
The linkage of the ocean’s waves with the wheat harvest is both fresh and evocative. It is writing like that that sets Winton apart.
March 4, 2012
I imagine that this is life viewed through the eyes of a 10-12year old boy. He is caught between the innocence of childhood and the harsh reality of assuming the full responsibility of "man of the house". He loves unconditionally, hopes optimistically for better times and stands fast waiting for his father to come home healed, to recommence his fatherly duties where he left off.
I loved Tim Winton's unashamed honest efforts to bestow functionality on a tragic family situation. His main character "Ort" is a lovable reminder that children are feeling, sensitive members of any family group who deserve whole hearted respect from the adults managing or mis-managing the day to day situation.
I loved Tim Winton's unashamed honest efforts to bestow functionality on a tragic family situation. His main character "Ort" is a lovable reminder that children are feeling, sensitive members of any family group who deserve whole hearted respect from the adults managing or mis-managing the day to day situation.
January 1, 2015
"That Eye, The Sky" is something of a cameo piece of Winton, in comparison with what came later, a prediction of what is to come, though the pace and humour are yet under tight rein and feel more like restraint and pathos.
The insight into a child's experience is there, along with the acceptance of 'paranormal' phenomena as being part of everyday life, normal rather than paranormal, although strange.
The introduction of the character Henry Warburton injects an undertone of threat that is maintained throughout the novel.
It's very much a story of vulnerability, of human failure and "what we close our eyes to" in order to just keep going. The child is the one who is willing to look but is simply too young to deal with what he sees.
The insight into a child's experience is there, along with the acceptance of 'paranormal' phenomena as being part of everyday life, normal rather than paranormal, although strange.
The introduction of the character Henry Warburton injects an undertone of threat that is maintained throughout the novel.
It's very much a story of vulnerability, of human failure and "what we close our eyes to" in order to just keep going. The child is the one who is willing to look but is simply too young to deal with what he sees.
August 6, 2020
I really enjoyed many aspects of this book, but I am still trying to wrap my head around what I've read. The way Winton explains Ort's journey into adolescents is fantastic. I felt alot of nostalgia when reading about Ort's attempt at making sense of the world around him. The characters were engaging, and I was constantly wanting to know more about them.
However, I did not expect this book to become so heavily based around religion and God. I found this a bit jarring, and I am still unsure how to interpret the scenes in the Church. The end felt so sudden, I was left wanting to know more.
I think I need to sit on this one for a bit longer, and try to interpret the stranger parts of this book.
However, I did not expect this book to become so heavily based around religion and God. I found this a bit jarring, and I am still unsure how to interpret the scenes in the Church. The end felt so sudden, I was left wanting to know more.
I think I need to sit on this one for a bit longer, and try to interpret the stranger parts of this book.
June 26, 2020
Tim Winton never disappoints.
February 16, 2017
This is the first Tim Winton novel I’ve read. For some reason, my high school curriculum had different ideas for me than ‘Cloudstreet’. It was the first unread book I grabbed off my bookshelf and what convinced to me read on was the dedication – ‘Equanimity’ by Les A. Murray and it reads:
“From the otherworld of action and media, this
interleaved continuing plane is hard to focus;
we are looking into the light –
it makes some smile, some grimace.”
With the current political landscape and events in my personal life, this resonated.
What followed was a tale from the perspective of the young boy that highlighted both the simplicity and complexity of youthful naivety in regards to how the world works, relationships both family and romantic, misfortune and death. What I liked the most was the Holden-Caulfield-esque dialogue (but not quite so good) at a pace that flowed comfortably and felt like I was in a small rural Australian town conversing with and absorbing, the wisdom of somebody that’s never known any lifestyle but exactly that.
It's an intriguing introduction to Winton and if anybody has any recommendations, send them on over this way.
“From the otherworld of action and media, this
interleaved continuing plane is hard to focus;
we are looking into the light –
it makes some smile, some grimace.”
With the current political landscape and events in my personal life, this resonated.
What followed was a tale from the perspective of the young boy that highlighted both the simplicity and complexity of youthful naivety in regards to how the world works, relationships both family and romantic, misfortune and death. What I liked the most was the Holden-Caulfield-esque dialogue (but not quite so good) at a pace that flowed comfortably and felt like I was in a small rural Australian town conversing with and absorbing, the wisdom of somebody that’s never known any lifestyle but exactly that.
It's an intriguing introduction to Winton and if anybody has any recommendations, send them on over this way.
February 28, 2011
This was my favourite Tim Winton book, even though it never really seemed to win the popularity of some of his other titles. It's told from the perspective of a little boy, and it melted my heart. It ended with a miracle - always a risky way to finish a novel, but it really worked. Another tear jerker.
October 31, 2014
I have no words to tell you how awful this book is. Had to read it in high school. Put me off Tim Winton for life. I just wanted to slap every character really hard and then shred the book. It has been 15 years since high school and I still hate it this much.
January 11, 2019
My first Winton fiction. I loved this quick read. I am still trying to digest the ending. Will review properly later
September 27, 2024
Oh my gosh I cant stop thinking about it since I finished it!
July 18, 2023
3. 5 stars had a blast! Was a book I was going to get rid of and was like it's short. I can read it quickly and see. And it was a pleasant surprise! Great Christian book! Loved the characters, the story. Might have to check out more of this author's work in the future.
May 26, 2026
first time trying Australian literature lol
I did not suspect that this particular book will try to evangelize me right after the 12yr old narrator extensively talked about his mother and sister's butt in weird detail, but whatever's on the table I guess
may someone enlighten me on what is this book about cause nothing makes sense
I did not suspect that this particular book will try to evangelize me right after the 12yr old narrator extensively talked about his mother and sister's butt in weird detail, but whatever's on the table I guess
may someone enlighten me on what is this book about cause nothing makes sense
January 19, 2019
There is a fine line when writing from the point of view of a young person; between complete ignorance of yourself and the people around you and an adult too knowing omniscience beyond your years. In writing from Ort's POV Tim Winton carefully conveys his confusion and naivety while giving the reader clues about what is actually going on.
Ort lives in the outskirts of town with his parents, older sister Tegwyn and Grammar. Ort's father is injured in a car accident. The family struggle to cope with caring for him once he comes home, wheelchair bound.
Out of the blue Henry Winterbottom arrives and offers to help.
"I go through to the front door that we never used until lately, and I open it with a pull and there at the door is a big man with old clothes that you could buy at a school fete for fifty cents, a real long face with a big hoe chin, funny eyes, a book in his hands, and grass seeds all over him.
'Hello, Morton, is your mother there?'
I don't say a flamin' word. I know him. Me mouth must be way open but I can't help it. It's the joker from under the bridge.
In the end, Mum comes up behind me and says, 'Can I help you?'
'I'm not selling anything,' he says, then looks like he'd like to change that but can't, so he shuts his mouth.
He's big, tall. Wide hands. He could do with a wash.
'Yes?'
'I've come to help with Sam.'
Mum grabs my shoulder hard like she's trying to pop a boil out of it. 'Are you from the hospital, then?' Oh, look at him, Mum, does he look like he's from the flamin' hospital?
'No. I'm not from anywhere in particular. Nngth.'
I look up. What was that? He said this funny word at the end then.
'No, I'm here to help you bathe Sam. It must be time now.'
'I didn't ask anyone to come.' Mum says.
'No,' I say. 'we didn't ask anyone to come'.
'I understand that. Nngth.'
There he goes again.
'Are you from Social Security?'
He shakes his head, smiling.
'Council?'
Mum looks at me. She wants to let him in, I can tell. She's mad. He's a stranger. He's dirty. We don't know who he is. We didn't ask him to come.
'We didn't know about any of this. Who's paying you?'
'I'm a voluntary worker.'
'For nothing?'
'Yes. More or less.'
She looks like she's decided to close the door on him, like she's suspicious after all, but then she just looks kind of scared and lost and she gives me a dry smile that says "I'm sorry'.
'Well, you might as well come in, now you are here,' she says with a sigh.”
From this introduction to Henry we see from Ort’s POV the visual, the physical. From listening to his mother we see her need for help overcome any reluctance to accept this odd offer.
We can also see the taut, spare style Winton uses. Young boys are not often given to use expansive descriptive prose. Ort’s sentences are very short, punchy and pared back.
When Henry takes Ort and Tegwyn to the beach for their first time, Winton captures the essence of the day in Ort’s emotional spare, descriptions.
“The beach is the whitest flaming thing you’ve ever seen in your life! Black car parks, green water, and white sand that goes for miles. You squint as you walk across it, through oily brown people on blankets and under brollies with radios going and babies crying. Some girls with their boobs showing, brown things with eyes that watch you go past. Geez…
…Blokes on surfboards turning round and going like hell. Takes me a while to see the big lines coming in like a convoy of wheat trucks, some with bits of white blowing off the top like wheat dust coming off the load.
…Everyone else catches the waves when they come. They swim with them and shoot along to the beach. But I stay put. I get run over by surfboards. I get run over by fat ladies with prickly legs. I get run over by my own sister. And then I reckon I’ve had enough. I think all the knocks have ruined my brains, ‘cause I turn around and catch the next wave that comes up behind me like a brick wall. Then I’m flying. Really flying. Most of me isn’t even in the wave. I’m hanging pout over the sandbar that’s a long, long way down and I hear me own voice going: ‘Oooooohhh!’ Like jumping out of a tree. On to your head. Hohh! I come up with more sand down my throat and music in my head and another wave tumbles me over. Another one fills me up with water and sends me along the bottom. The last one drops me on the beach. I get up and then I know. Me shorts! Here I am standing in the middle of the city with nothing on.”
Winton could have run many of these sentences together without losing the meaning, however this is how Ort thinks and by chopping those down the pattern of his thoughts fit the situation. The repetition of ‘I get run over by…” mirrors the repetition of the waves and the constant buffeting he endures.
This is a bittersweet novel about a young boy, his family, and how they attempt to cope with growing up, growing wiser, all under the blue eye in the sky.
Ort lives in the outskirts of town with his parents, older sister Tegwyn and Grammar. Ort's father is injured in a car accident. The family struggle to cope with caring for him once he comes home, wheelchair bound.
Out of the blue Henry Winterbottom arrives and offers to help.
"I go through to the front door that we never used until lately, and I open it with a pull and there at the door is a big man with old clothes that you could buy at a school fete for fifty cents, a real long face with a big hoe chin, funny eyes, a book in his hands, and grass seeds all over him.
'Hello, Morton, is your mother there?'
I don't say a flamin' word. I know him. Me mouth must be way open but I can't help it. It's the joker from under the bridge.
In the end, Mum comes up behind me and says, 'Can I help you?'
'I'm not selling anything,' he says, then looks like he'd like to change that but can't, so he shuts his mouth.
He's big, tall. Wide hands. He could do with a wash.
'Yes?'
'I've come to help with Sam.'
Mum grabs my shoulder hard like she's trying to pop a boil out of it. 'Are you from the hospital, then?' Oh, look at him, Mum, does he look like he's from the flamin' hospital?
'No. I'm not from anywhere in particular. Nngth.'
I look up. What was that? He said this funny word at the end then.
'No, I'm here to help you bathe Sam. It must be time now.'
'I didn't ask anyone to come.' Mum says.
'No,' I say. 'we didn't ask anyone to come'.
'I understand that. Nngth.'
There he goes again.
'Are you from Social Security?'
He shakes his head, smiling.
'Council?'
Mum looks at me. She wants to let him in, I can tell. She's mad. He's a stranger. He's dirty. We don't know who he is. We didn't ask him to come.
'We didn't know about any of this. Who's paying you?'
'I'm a voluntary worker.'
'For nothing?'
'Yes. More or less.'
She looks like she's decided to close the door on him, like she's suspicious after all, but then she just looks kind of scared and lost and she gives me a dry smile that says "I'm sorry'.
'Well, you might as well come in, now you are here,' she says with a sigh.”
From this introduction to Henry we see from Ort’s POV the visual, the physical. From listening to his mother we see her need for help overcome any reluctance to accept this odd offer.
We can also see the taut, spare style Winton uses. Young boys are not often given to use expansive descriptive prose. Ort’s sentences are very short, punchy and pared back.
When Henry takes Ort and Tegwyn to the beach for their first time, Winton captures the essence of the day in Ort’s emotional spare, descriptions.
“The beach is the whitest flaming thing you’ve ever seen in your life! Black car parks, green water, and white sand that goes for miles. You squint as you walk across it, through oily brown people on blankets and under brollies with radios going and babies crying. Some girls with their boobs showing, brown things with eyes that watch you go past. Geez…
…Blokes on surfboards turning round and going like hell. Takes me a while to see the big lines coming in like a convoy of wheat trucks, some with bits of white blowing off the top like wheat dust coming off the load.
…Everyone else catches the waves when they come. They swim with them and shoot along to the beach. But I stay put. I get run over by surfboards. I get run over by fat ladies with prickly legs. I get run over by my own sister. And then I reckon I’ve had enough. I think all the knocks have ruined my brains, ‘cause I turn around and catch the next wave that comes up behind me like a brick wall. Then I’m flying. Really flying. Most of me isn’t even in the wave. I’m hanging pout over the sandbar that’s a long, long way down and I hear me own voice going: ‘Oooooohhh!’ Like jumping out of a tree. On to your head. Hohh! I come up with more sand down my throat and music in my head and another wave tumbles me over. Another one fills me up with water and sends me along the bottom. The last one drops me on the beach. I get up and then I know. Me shorts! Here I am standing in the middle of the city with nothing on.”
Winton could have run many of these sentences together without losing the meaning, however this is how Ort thinks and by chopping those down the pattern of his thoughts fit the situation. The repetition of ‘I get run over by…” mirrors the repetition of the waves and the constant buffeting he endures.
This is a bittersweet novel about a young boy, his family, and how they attempt to cope with growing up, growing wiser, all under the blue eye in the sky.
March 5, 2024
Reading this for the second time- almost 40 years later. It is an amazing conversion story- my kind of bizarre and thought provoking Christian mysticism. It is also deeply indulgent and nostalgic for those of us raised in a certain time and place in Australia
October 19, 2019
Well, I don't really know what I think about this one. It wasn't entirely voluntarily that I started reading this one and in the beginning I thought it was extremely boring. The information on the back seemed a little interesting, but it took about half the book to get there. At some point it was quite ok and I wanted to continue reading, but the closer I got to the end the more I realised that nothing would happen and I only kept reading it because it was so short. The ending doesn't make sense at all (at least not to me) and even though you get quite a bit of information about Henry, it's not satisfying at all. It does not justify his actions or why he came to the Flacks in the first place. Orts character was ok.
If it had had more pages I wouldn't have finished it, so that is pretty much its only positive thing.
Let's just say this wasn't my cup of tea.
If it had had more pages I wouldn't have finished it, so that is pretty much its only positive thing.
Let's just say this wasn't my cup of tea.
August 6, 2012
I watched Cloustreet and really enjoyed it! The several layers to the characters and the development of each person too. So I thought I would try a book by the author, well it dragged for me. I had to work at picking the book up and reading it, even though I knew no body was going to make a major breakthrough in charachter development I just couldn't endure reading through the boring lives of nothingness. In dreary dry Australia down and under, i got as depressed as them, rather than appreciate the people accepting their lives for what they were in Cloudstreet and admiring that, I felt pity and boredom in this book.
July 31, 2009
I have just finished reading this and feel that I might have to re-read it at some point, purely because I have come away wondering about the sanity of both Ort & his mother; were they not in fact a little bit on the slow side, I wonder.
Forget all the religion in this book for a moment, even though it seems to be a prolific factor to the story, does anyone else think that perhaps there is more to my theory than first thought?
I love the Aussie language - I understand it completely; it's a real bonza book imo.
Forget all the religion in this book for a moment, even though it seems to be a prolific factor to the story, does anyone else think that perhaps there is more to my theory than first thought?
I love the Aussie language - I understand it completely; it's a real bonza book imo.
April 30, 2014
A hippie family fails to find paradise in the Australian outskirts. Far from it. But they have each other -- to a point. Enter tragedy, then a false prophet/angel/preacher. Young Ort, our narrator, sees many things, as he constantly looks thru holes and cracks and into things he might better not. The false prophet gets what he wants, the girl and the car, leaving only his Bible. Do Ort, him mum and dad get God? Not sure. Winton weaves multiple sight, eye and vision images seamlessly throughout this odd, touching novel.
October 13, 2011
Hmmm... I wasn't sure what this book was on about. It started out ok, then I got tired of hearing about all the religious dogma (even if it was put in other words), then it kind of showed the hypocrisy of of it all, and ended with well, I won't say, as I don't want to add a spoiler. It was depressing verging on uplifting verging on well, that's just life. So, there you have it.
September 24, 2016
Tim Winton has an incredible talent for making the beautiful ugly and the mundane grotesque. This book is no exception; any redeeming qualities in the characters or plot are mired beyond repair by the end. When I finished the last chapter, I felt sick and disgusted.
April 19, 2023
A wonderful short novel that invites us to share in Ort Flack's adolescent world as he searches for his place both within the seeming chaotic world of his family and outwardly under the big sky of his Western Australian dreaming.
February 15, 2012
I probably would have given this book 3 stars if it weren't for that horrible ending
July 24, 2017
A beautifully written novel by Winton which deals with powerful issues of identity, belief and cultural values.
November 16, 2019
Never trust a preacher man
August 16, 2020
Beautifully written as per Tim's usual style but what a disturbing story!
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