Many of Tim Winton’s novels are set on the Western Australia coast, and salt water seems to run in the veins of his characters. This short memoir celebrates Winton’s own childhood relationship with the sea, with swimming, surfing, fishing and beachcombing. It is a stunningly beautiful piece of writing; gentle, delicate, nostalgic and profound. The sea has sustained and inspired Winton all his life, as well as informing his fiction. This work casts new light on the driving force behind his novels, but is a gorgeous piece of writing for anyone who loves the sea, even if you haven’t read his other books. It’s also a very beautifully produced little book, with a number of haunting photographs reproduced in colour, and two-colour printing.