The Broken Wave

Book excerpt: Those who enjoy Craig Silvey, Trent Dalton and Richard Flanagan's books will find much to think about here. 'We never talked about what happened in 1992. Did it quietly haunt him the way it did me?' In the small seaside town of Queenscliff, two boys from opposite sides of the world forge a friendship over a summer of sun, adventure and brotherhood. Until a catastrophic event shatters their idyllic childhoods. Two lives are lost. A lie is told. Years later, when Tom dies in suspicious circumstances, Drew flies from the US back to Australia for his friend's funeral. Still haunted by that night in 1992, he's about to find out if Tom ever told anyone the truth, if the two events are connected, and if their friendship was worth the price they paid. Told with Davies' trademark emotional depth and sensitivity, The Broken Wave is a compelling mystery about the long tentacles of childhood trauma, finding connection in the least expected places and the unbreakable bond of friendship. Praise for The Broken Wave 'In The Broken Wave, an American writer struggles with his difficult second novel. Matthew Ryan Davies would seem to have no such problem: this second novel is a taut and compassionate examination of the way the people we know as children mark us forever. As it builds to its devastating conclusion, The Broken Wave will leave you breathless.' - Hayley Scrivenor 'The Broken Wave drags you in from its first pages and refuses to let go. Flowing with ease between idyllic past and haunted present, it builds an irresistible mystery suffused with all-too-real pain and melancholy. Don't miss it.' - Gabriel Bergmoser 'Superbly characterised and almost unbearably tense, The Broken Wave had me both holding my breath and turning the pages. Davies writes with assurance and empathy, transporting the reader through one golden childhood summer to a shocking tragedy that will ricochet down the years. Haunting and heartfelt, I am still thinking about The Broken Wave weeks after finishing it.' - Kylie Ladd 'Unlike anything else you'll read this year. A gripping page-turner that had my heart racing as the story unfolded. The shocking revelation will stay with you a long time.' - Peter Papathanasiou 'It's haunting, sensitively written literary fiction - a complex investigation of trauma, a subject explored with nuance and emotional depth, and a buddy narrative that'll appeal to admirers of Craig Silvey, for instance.' - Sydney Morning Herald