"A bold, piercing, beautifully readable story full of heartache and hope."
A deeply emotional, dramatic, and refreshingly original story for young (or older) adults, set in the late 1990’s in Australia. Teenager Sam’s mother dies in his arms on New Year’s Eve, mourning and traumatised, he moves in with his estranged Aunt and cousins, and his life is forever altered. The first chapter simply and vividly set the scene, I could look around me, almost touch, smell, hear my surroundings. Claire Zorn writes with eloquent empathy, yet doesn’t hide from heartache. As I read I could see Sam’s pain as a stinging physical entity. I found myself completely immersed in the story, the words caught hold of me, picked me up and ran. Sam’s raw emotions scorch the pages, he is the focus, yet the surrounding characters are fascinating in their own right. I adored the ending, where it left me, how it left me feeling. At times hope seems so very far away, yet it is very much a part of this story. ’One Would Think The Deep’ is a beautifully written tale, tender yet penetrating and powerful, it offered itself to me and let me sink into its depths.
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
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Superb book for young adults!!
After the unexpected death of his mum while living in Sydney, Australia, Sam moves to another part of the country to live with his mum's family. Sam is still grieving for the loss of his mum when he arrives but finds settling in with them very difficult due to their different way of life while still trying to work through his grief.
Sam meets his cousin Minty who is backed to be the next Australian surfing champion and happily Sam and Minty form a good strong and meaningful relationship. From here, Minty encourages Sam into the world of surfing which Sam adopts to happily and thoroughly enjoys with all the excitement that this brings into his life.... Read Full Review
This is a terrific novel with characters and place that jump off the page - you won't be able to stop reading it!
One Would Think The Deep is a fantastic novel about a teenager's new life with his estranged aunt and her family after his mother's sudden death. While the plot of the book is great - why did Sam's once-close family not see one another for over ten years? - the real strength of the novel is the character development and sense of place. I loved the fact that Claire Zorn's writing was so real I could "see" the characters and the coastal town where the novel takes place.... Read Full Review
An astute overview of the many layers of grief and uses the surfing scene as a way of re-populating Sam’s life.
This novel won the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year for the Older Reader 2017 and it is not difficult to understand why. Claire Zorn is an accomplished writer enabling the reader to surf and ride the pages of the book as the characters battle through their lives.
Sam is a teenage skateboarder growing up in Sydney. The book begins on New Year’s Eve when Sam’s mother dies suddenly and he is forced to leave Sydney to live with his cousins on the coast. He is not welcomed by everyone though.... Read Full Review
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