Floundering

Their mother, Loretta, dumped Tom and his big brother Jordy at their grandparents' house a year ago. Now, with no warning, she is back, and she takes off with the boys without telling Gran and Pa, aiming for somewhere out west where the three of them can be happy. Eleven-year-old Tom tells the story of the drive across Australia in a brutal summer: nights in the car, food stolen from shops, insects, heat, a mother often hung over and a brother who picks on him. The trip ends at a campsite by the ocean in the west, beside a neighbour, Nev, who wants no small boys near him, and there Loretta starts to unravel.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form

Novel

Genres

Family, Coming of age (assigned by AI)

Set in

Australia

First published

2012

ISBN

9781921922084 (Text Publishing, Australia)