Play Book Tag discussion

This is an author I need to follow. I love writing that is evocative and atmospheric, especially if it has something interesting to say. I don’t normally read about sports or thrill seekers, but I really enjoyed this book and the psychological elements in the story. The audio performance is very engaging. I actually slowed the audio speed to enjoy the meditative quality of his voice. The book begins with an older man working as a paramedic. We see him visit a house with an apparent suicide of a young man, but he recognizes the signs of accidental asphyxiation. The mother cleaned up the scene, and he knows that she will have to decide which story to give to the police. Which shame is worse? The meaning of this scene wasn’t clear until much later in the book.

The story then goes back to his childhood, on the coast of West Australia. He and a friend learn to surf, and continually push themselves to the limits, taking bigger risks. They meet older surfers including a famous surfer and his skier wife. The surfer acts as a mentor. As I was looking at the movie poster on the cover, I was reminded of some Disney adventure movies. As the boys get older the story leaves Disney territory far behind. There is some unconventional sexual behavior, and mental health challenges before we get back to his life as the paramedic.

From the blurb:
On the wild, lonely coast of Western Australia, two thrillseeking and barely adolescent boys fall into the enigmatic thrall of veteran big-wave surfer Sando. Together they form an odd but elite trio. The grown man initiates the boys into a kind of Spartan ethos, a regimen of risk and challenge, where they test themselves in storm swells on remote and shark-infested reefs, pushing each other to the edges of endurance, courage, and sanity. But where is all this heading? Venturing beyond all limits—in relationships, in physical challenge, and in sexual behavior—there is a point where oblivion is the only outcome. “