FLOUNDERING

Tom and Jordy have been living with their grandmother since the day their mother, Loretta, dropped them off on her doorstep and disappeared.

Now Loretta's returned, and she wants her boys back. Without packing bags or letting Grandma know, Tom and Jordy hit the road with Loretta in her beat-up car. The family of three journeys across the country, squabbling, bonding, searching and reconnecting.

But Loretta isn't mother material. She's broke, unreliable, irrational. And there's something else that's not quite right with this reunion. They reach the west coast and take refuge in an abandoned caravan in a beachside trailer park. Their neighbour, a surly old man, growls at the kids to stay away and they do - until Loretta disappears again. The two boys have no choice but to approach the old man to seek help. But he offers more than help and the boys, already powerless, face new threats and new fears.

This beautifully written and gripping debut is as moving as it is frightening. A modern Wake in Fright, it shows a hidden side of coastal life in a harsh, unrelenting light.

Romy Ash is a Melbourne-based writer. She has written for GriffithREVIEW, the Big Issue and frankie magazine. She has a regular cooking column in Yen magazine and writes for the blog Trotski & Ash.