Last Wave

by Paul Hayden

Seventeen-year-old Matt "Owl" Owen is living in the heyday between school and the rest of his life. He has his friends, the beach, and the surf -- and the big event on his calendar is a date with Hayley Churchill, an absolute goddess. When she asked him to take her to Stink's eighteenth birthday, Owl thought he'd die. Is it possible his best friend's sister has finally come to her senses, or is Owl just putting himself on?

It's supposed to be the best summer of his life, a final hurrah before Owl and his buddies are forced to grow up and start the next phase of life, but he and his surfing crew are about to get dragged kicking and screaming into the adult world -- and nothing will ever be the same again.

Genres: Young Adult

183 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2001

About the author

Paul Hayden was born in Canada but grew up on Sydney's Northern Beaches. While at high school he surfed many of the breaks of Australia's east coast. His short stories have appeared in Southerly, Island, Australian Short Stories, Billy Blue, Northern Perspective, Playboy and Penthouse.
Last Wave was published in Australia, the US and the UK, it received critical acclaim – ‘supercharged with raw Down Under slang but feelingful and witty’ (Kirkus Reviews US), and gathered an underground following with its ‘gritty realism’ (State Library, Victoria), ‘genuine lyricism’ about surfing (Booklist US), willingness not to pull any punches – ‘sex, booze, tears, and teen angst – I couldn’t put it down’ (Transworld Surf US), and general readability – ‘evolves seductively with hot chicks, mad parties and big days’ (Tracks). Last Wave is presently being considered for development as a feature film.
Paul is currently finishing his next novel, a story about a bunch of young men at university and the way their love lives go horribly wrong, to be published in 2013.

Reviews

[Maddy Weist · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains a lot of slang that is hard to understand initially but as you keep reading you begin to understand the language the author uses. I really began to connect with the characters and I would recommend this to someone who likes surfing. I was a little caught off guard with how much surfing was in the story but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

[Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book showed how in a moment you can be on the top of the world and in the whirlwind of events, the next thing you'll be so down you wouldn't know how you get there. liked the story but it was told on informal way of writing using terms that are somehow inappropriate.

[Stephanie Frugis Foti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Touched my heart and I could really relate because I have messed up feet just like owl! Had to get them reconstructed and all