Saltwater Boy

By: Bradley Christmas

Narrated by: Sam Winspear-Schillings

When Matthew’s dad gets in trouble, he makes trouble for everyone else too. But with Dad in jail, Matthew and his mum have a chance to put their pieces back together.

Mum makes plans for a summer down the coast, fixing up Grandpa’s old place in an effort to make ends meet. The beach, the swirling rockpools and the vast ocean offer new perspective and promise and Matthew as he strikes up a friendship with Bill, an old local who recognises a fellow ‘Saltwater Boy’ – and shows him how to find pippis and catch fish, and even make a few dollars from it. Bill becomes the paternal figure that Dad isn’t – wise and patient – but Bill isn’t welcomed in town, and Matthew begins to witness old rivalries, and buried truths, resurface.

Then Dad gets out on parole, threatening the new life Matthew and Mum have built for themselves, forcing a confrontation with the past … and the truth.

©2023 Bradley Christmas. Published by Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd. (P)2024 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'This is a truly touching story about friendship, family and protecting our environment. I can see this being studied in schools.' (Readings)

'Bradley Christmas pens a poignant and engaging story, gripping from the word go, with relatable themes of loss, family blues, crisis of identity, and finding one’s place in the world. The characters are well-drawn, verging on real people – and Christmas has finely tuned his dialogue to be astoundingly realistic.' (Reading Time)

'It has a gentleness, even amidst hostility, and a redemptive and forgiving tone that takes it away from the horrors of family violence and dysfunction.' (Lamont Books)