Review of Bombora

[LilySisyphus]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Bombora" by Paul Drewitt.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Paul Drewitt's Bombora is about teenagers exploring the world and learning how o stop themselves before they go too far. It explores how toxic masculinity and long-held 'traditions' shape the next generation of men and how their community expects them to deal with fear and pain. Andy - the narrator and the person whose life we are reading about - is first shown as a naive, young man who hangs out with the cool kids to try to become a cool kid himself. At that point, he doesn't know anything about surfing and has only heard about death-defying stunts. Then, he starts hanging out with Mick. Mick is everything Andy wants to be - strong, daring, and popular; and so Andy starts hanging around Mick. Their relationship starts simple - messing around in the sea and learning how to surf - and while many of their dares are dangerous, like jumping from "the drop" while the tide is high, they seem to know where the line is, and they respect it. When Andy's with Mick (Andy's 'in' to the cool kids' crowd), he feels energized and as if he's on top of the world; but Glash is the one who introduces him to a different reality. Glash is what pushes him over the edge of insanity. Andy's only goal becomes getting an adrenaline rush, and he starts to follow in Glashs footsteps. All the while, Sophia (Glash's girlfriend) keeps an eye on him.

Bombora is a book to read in one seating. It's a commentary about our world (such as that talking back to someone above your social status, e.g., a roustabout talking back to a shearer, will get you harshly punished). It also has believable dialogue and raw, likable characters we wish to see succeed. Amazingly, it shows that teenagers often know when something is going wrong with their lives or when something is wrong with them but don't yet know how to deal with it. This novel perfectly encapsulates the struggles of being a teenager and trying to fit in just to find out that 'normal' is boring.

Bombora is an incredible read, and I can't see any faults in it except for the frequent use of Australian slang. However, that is of minor concern as the meaning of most words can be guessed from context, is later explained, or is irrelevant to understanding the story. This, along with its professionally done editing, is why I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.

It is important to note that there are explicit sex scenes involving a minor and an adult in this story. There are examples of different types of rape, one of which is constitutional rape. I wouldn't recommend this book to a person triggered by these topics.

I would recommend it to people trying to expand their understanding of teenage experiences, as well as people trying to understand why we fear things.

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Bombora
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[Ivan Mukaaga]

Thank you very much for the clear description of what the is all about. This is really worth reading as it will really help so many youth to know the dangers awaiting them in life. I just love Bombora, but after reading this review, I feel like reading it again.