Review of Bombora
Posted: 13 Aug 2022, 06:57
[Following is a volunteer review of "Bombora" by Paul Drewitt.]
Bombora by Paul Drewitt is a story centered around a boy named Andy. And what he goes through to try and be a part of something. Told from the perspective of his older self, he looks back at his life and the choices he made. From accepting constantly escalating dares to prove his worth, to rebelling at school. It all builds to a point where he doesn't seem to know what he wants any more. And when a couple of hippies move into town, it just gets more intense. Andy does not like to feel "normal", and when an older woman gets interested in him, she opens him up to a lot of questionable pastimes. And now, doing things which are both exiting and dangerous, he just can't find his balance and decide whether he likes the path he is going down. Or not.
The story focuses a lot on the thoughts and feelings of a boy that is insecure and afraid of what others think of him. It takes you through much of his thought processes and the way he sees the world. Him and his best friend, Mick, befriends a world record holding free-diver. And he starts taking them under his wing. In business, in surfing and diving. And it all goes well for a bit. He gets the pretty girl at school. He succeeds in doing a very risky night dive. And he manages to pull off surfing. The story makes you feel good for him when he gets these things done. And it also made me think back a lot to my younger years. Especially the parts where his mother tries to help him make the right choices. It puts you in a position to think what you would have done, were you in his shoes.
The story is set in Australia, and there are a couple of times where the dialect makes it a bit tricky to understand what is being spoken about. The story is well wrritten, but it gets a little dreary. Reason being that the main character keeps doing the same things, not being able to decide whether he likes them or not. So I give this story 2 out of 4.
This story would do well in the hands of people who do not want or expect too much action. It has brief moments of sexual content, but very diluted. It is also not a tear jerker. It is just a story about a boy and his antics growing up. But a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon
******
Bombora
View: on Bookshelves
Bombora by Paul Drewitt is a story centered around a boy named Andy. And what he goes through to try and be a part of something. Told from the perspective of his older self, he looks back at his life and the choices he made. From accepting constantly escalating dares to prove his worth, to rebelling at school. It all builds to a point where he doesn't seem to know what he wants any more. And when a couple of hippies move into town, it just gets more intense. Andy does not like to feel "normal", and when an older woman gets interested in him, she opens him up to a lot of questionable pastimes. And now, doing things which are both exiting and dangerous, he just can't find his balance and decide whether he likes the path he is going down. Or not.
The story focuses a lot on the thoughts and feelings of a boy that is insecure and afraid of what others think of him. It takes you through much of his thought processes and the way he sees the world. Him and his best friend, Mick, befriends a world record holding free-diver. And he starts taking them under his wing. In business, in surfing and diving. And it all goes well for a bit. He gets the pretty girl at school. He succeeds in doing a very risky night dive. And he manages to pull off surfing. The story makes you feel good for him when he gets these things done. And it also made me think back a lot to my younger years. Especially the parts where his mother tries to help him make the right choices. It puts you in a position to think what you would have done, were you in his shoes.
The story is set in Australia, and there are a couple of times where the dialect makes it a bit tricky to understand what is being spoken about. The story is well wrritten, but it gets a little dreary. Reason being that the main character keeps doing the same things, not being able to decide whether he likes them or not. So I give this story 2 out of 4.
This story would do well in the hands of people who do not want or expect too much action. It has brief moments of sexual content, but very diluted. It is also not a tear jerker. It is just a story about a boy and his antics growing up. But a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon
******
Bombora
View: on Bookshelves