Review of Bombora
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Stephanie Surette
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- Latest Review: Bombora by Paul Drewitt
Review of Bombora
[Following is a volunteer review of "Bombora" by Paul Drewitt.]
Living life dangerously is a lot better than living by the rules, isn’t it? When we meet Andy Leehane in Paul Drewitt’s novel, Bombara this is what he wants to believe in this coming of age story set in the small quiet town of Robe in rural 1980s Australia. Andy wants to shake his ‘good boy’ image and not follow in the footsteps of his older, absent brothers and his hard-working parents. There must be more to life than what he has known it to be in the last sixteen years of life. Or is there?
In this coming of age story, a somewhat naive Andy begins to forge new and somewhat dangerous friendships, starting with Mick Redding- a surly, troublemaker from school. They start to experiment with foolish pastimes by diving off the coast and hanging around with the older, guys who only care about sex, drugs and partying. Andy soon realises that life ‘on the wild side’ may not be what it seems. Andy and Mick become friends involved in competitive escapades that at times, strain then strengthen their friendship throughout the novel.
I enjoyed how Paul Drewitt shows Andy’s emotional and social progression as he navigates life’s choices in small town Australia as he explores the friendships, love and responsibilities with various inhabitants in and around Robe. His use of emotions that commonly occur in teenagers at this time of life is extraordinary - especially with his friendship with Mick Redding which can range from adoration, camaraderie and happiness to jealousy, anger and competition.
I also enjoyed how Paul Drewitt showed Andy’s emotional range by his changing relationship with his parents who love him and support him throughout the story - no matter what he did - such as skipping school, messing around and hanging around questionable people. It was great to see how Andy’s petulance towards his parents’ compares with many teenagers today. Their love and support for their wayward son was evident throughout the novel.
His meeting with the mysterious and moody Darren McGlashin (Glash) and Glash’s witty and lovely, although depressed and lonely wife, Sophia really was a turning point in the novel. I liked how Paul Drewitt built out their characters enough to question their true thoughts and feelings toward Mick and especially towards Andy.Their behaviour towards Andy throughout the novel helped reinforce the outcome of the novel. Without their mentorship, guidance, patience and influence in the many pastimes they did together - Andy may have chosen the path that was set out for him by his upbringing.
Bombora is full of metaphors relating to living by; the dangerous and unfathomable ocean and what can happen if you are not prepared for its many unpredictable offerings including surfing, diving and ‘free-diving’. As Andy looks back on his teenage years, you can see where he may feel nostalgic and where he may feel regretful with some of his impulsive life choices.
There wasn’t anything I could find negative about this story as its life lessons about wanting more out of life resonates with many people. I also only noticed a few errors throughout the novel.
I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars as I found minimal errors in it and I really enjoyed how Paul Drewitt built Andy’s character from a naive, good boy navigating the many ups and downs that are thrown at impressionable teenagers in life. If there were no errors, and if there were less sex scenes involving minors I would have given a rating of 5 out of 5 stars .
I would recommend this novel to older adults as Andy’s struggles with choosing ‘good’ choices over the ‘bad’ choices could resonate with them in remembering their own lives and also reminisce about their younger years and the choices they may have made to get them to where they are today. I feel that some people may be uncomfortable with some of the explicit sex scenes and some of the vulgar language used throughout the novel.
******
Bombora
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Living life dangerously is a lot better than living by the rules, isn’t it? When we meet Andy Leehane in Paul Drewitt’s novel, Bombara this is what he wants to believe in this coming of age story set in the small quiet town of Robe in rural 1980s Australia. Andy wants to shake his ‘good boy’ image and not follow in the footsteps of his older, absent brothers and his hard-working parents. There must be more to life than what he has known it to be in the last sixteen years of life. Or is there?
In this coming of age story, a somewhat naive Andy begins to forge new and somewhat dangerous friendships, starting with Mick Redding- a surly, troublemaker from school. They start to experiment with foolish pastimes by diving off the coast and hanging around with the older, guys who only care about sex, drugs and partying. Andy soon realises that life ‘on the wild side’ may not be what it seems. Andy and Mick become friends involved in competitive escapades that at times, strain then strengthen their friendship throughout the novel.
I enjoyed how Paul Drewitt shows Andy’s emotional and social progression as he navigates life’s choices in small town Australia as he explores the friendships, love and responsibilities with various inhabitants in and around Robe. His use of emotions that commonly occur in teenagers at this time of life is extraordinary - especially with his friendship with Mick Redding which can range from adoration, camaraderie and happiness to jealousy, anger and competition.
I also enjoyed how Paul Drewitt showed Andy’s emotional range by his changing relationship with his parents who love him and support him throughout the story - no matter what he did - such as skipping school, messing around and hanging around questionable people. It was great to see how Andy’s petulance towards his parents’ compares with many teenagers today. Their love and support for their wayward son was evident throughout the novel.
His meeting with the mysterious and moody Darren McGlashin (Glash) and Glash’s witty and lovely, although depressed and lonely wife, Sophia really was a turning point in the novel. I liked how Paul Drewitt built out their characters enough to question their true thoughts and feelings toward Mick and especially towards Andy.Their behaviour towards Andy throughout the novel helped reinforce the outcome of the novel. Without their mentorship, guidance, patience and influence in the many pastimes they did together - Andy may have chosen the path that was set out for him by his upbringing.
Bombora is full of metaphors relating to living by; the dangerous and unfathomable ocean and what can happen if you are not prepared for its many unpredictable offerings including surfing, diving and ‘free-diving’. As Andy looks back on his teenage years, you can see where he may feel nostalgic and where he may feel regretful with some of his impulsive life choices.
There wasn’t anything I could find negative about this story as its life lessons about wanting more out of life resonates with many people. I also only noticed a few errors throughout the novel.
I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars as I found minimal errors in it and I really enjoyed how Paul Drewitt built Andy’s character from a naive, good boy navigating the many ups and downs that are thrown at impressionable teenagers in life. If there were no errors, and if there were less sex scenes involving minors I would have given a rating of 5 out of 5 stars .
I would recommend this novel to older adults as Andy’s struggles with choosing ‘good’ choices over the ‘bad’ choices could resonate with them in remembering their own lives and also reminisce about their younger years and the choices they may have made to get them to where they are today. I feel that some people may be uncomfortable with some of the explicit sex scenes and some of the vulgar language used throughout the novel.
******
Bombora
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Bombora by Paul Drewitt
