Chapters 1-5

Chapters 1-5 

Pages 1 - 27

Past the Shallows opens with a seemingly typical Australian coastal scene. Miles and Joe are preparing to surf the waves of a beach on the Tasmanian coast and younger sibling Harry is given a treasure hunt list of shells to find. Beyond this quick glance, a shallow look into the lifestyle, a deep secret will emerge.

Harry’s character is immediately established as gentle and innocent. He encounters a bird and his concern for its wellbeing shows him to be kind and considerate. He shows a depth of spirit as he holds an abalone shell and feels the history of the region, the connection between people and place over time. Older brothers Miles and Joe enjoy the surf and feel at one with the surging waves.

The idyllic moment is cut short as the next day Miles is forced to drive the family’s boat, the Lady Ida, while his father, Jeff and Martin dive for abalone. He has had to step up after the death of his Uncle Nick. Miles recalls what he has heard about the night that Uncle Nick died. That Nick had gone to secure a boat and was probably dragged away by a current, his body never found. That night there was also an accident in which Miles, Joe and Harry lost their mother.

Harry accompanies his Aunty Jean to the local fair and buys showbags for him and Miles as well as his friend Stuart. This generosity coupled with his interest in patting the animals at the show reinforce Harry’s benevolent nature. Aunty Jean’s actions seem forced and obligatory and there is little warmth in her presence. However at lunch, when Harry offers to pay for her, a crack in her hard exterior reveals the pain of losing her sister – the boys’ mother – and the struggle to decide to contest the will and take money from the family. When she drops Harry off she does not go inside, underscoring the feud she is in with Harry’s father. Harry is excited and in a childlike manner shares his showbags with Miles. Miles seems less excited as his day on the boat has left him blistered and depressed.

Another day passes and Miles is back on the boat. He reflects on how he treats the abalone as a commodity now rather than having sympathy for them as he did when he was young. This sentiment is emblematic of Miles’ lost childhood and innocence. Miles is concerned after his father takes some time to resurface. The tension reminds him and the reader of the dangerous nature of the sea.

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 6-10

Pages 35 - 69

Harry is essentially alone as Miles joins their father on the boat during the school holidays. He tries to visit Stuart, a friend and kindred spirit, who is also without a father and struggling financially, living in a caravan. Stuart is not home so Harry leaves the showbag gift and heads home only to be intercepted by a friendly puppy. He follows the puppy but is wary when it heads to George Fuller’s place as George is the subject of childish rumours for being monstrous. George sees Harry and calls his name. Harry flees in fright. In another example of the metaphoric title, readers are invited to go past the shallows of George’s appearance and the rumours and get to know the warm and friendly character.

After work, the older brothers, Miles and Joe, head for a surf. Joe says he has nearly finished his boat and intends to sail away as soon as he can. He is living at their grandfather’s but Aunty Jean is selling the house after winning the contested will. Miles wants to stay close to Joe, revealing the presence of troubles at home. He gets sick and although Harry wants him to stay home so he can take care of him, Miles feels compelled to work in fear of his father.

In an event that reminds the reader of the fickle nature of the ocean which is reflected in the adults around the boys, a seemingly high positive moment quickly turns dangerous. This tension is reminiscent of the tension in the current household. The event occurs when salmon are spotted and the divers stop to fish. They are catching plenty and spirits are high. Suddenly a shark is landed and thrashes about on the boat endangering all the crew. Martin is injured and then Jeff shoots the shark. The large catch of abalone, salmon and the equipment is lost overboard in the panic. Martin’s injury means that Miles will have to skip school next term and work on the boat. He is trapped. Martin protectively warns Miles to watch out for Jeff. It is a small gesture of help for the boy but not the actual intervention that is needed.

Harry meanwhile searches for the puppy he had seen earlier. It turns out to be George’s puppy, Jake, and the chance meeting begins a friendship between Harry and George. Harry is unconcerned by George’s scars and instead finds solace in someone who will listen to him and who knew his grandfather. This friendship is a chance for a real caring relationship for both George and Harry.

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 11–15

Pages 71 - 98

Returning to work is no joy for Miles. His father is short tempered and after the days’ work he storms off to the pub leaving Miles alone. A kind-hearted Mr Roberts offers Miles a lift home. Mr Robert’s son, Justin, was a friend of Miles when they were younger. When Mr Roberts made a lot of money through abalone fishing and sent Justin to boarding school. He warns Miles not to get trapped into working on the boat and that it would be wrong. On the way home they pass the tree which was struck by the car in which Miles’ mother died and Miles is overcome with emotion.

Harry is there for Miles and hopes to take care of him showing his genuine kind nature. It is unnoticed by most who are absorbed in their own problems.

The boys spend a day with Aunty Jean who insists on cutting their hair. The awkward day culminates in an unwanted haircut for the boys and they reflect on how they look like sheep. Miles remembers how Dad used to brush Harry’s hair, providing insight into a time when the family was a peaceful place and Dad had a different temperament.

The cleaning out of Grandad’s house is symbolic of the end of an era. The happy times remembered are now becoming piles on the front lawn, ready to throw away. The boys discover a car seat in the garage and wonder why Grandad kept the seat from the accident. Miles finds a shark tooth in the seat cushion and keeps it. Later Harry tells Joe that there was a man in the car the night their mother crashed the car and died. This information shocks Joe and he wonders what it could mean. In the literary device of foreshadowing, another piece or clue is dropped but not enough to complete the puzzle.

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 16-20

Pages 99-125

Miles takes a walk on the beach contemplating his life and the tooth that was found among the wreckage. Without warning, a stronger boy, Gary, snatches the tooth and the two have a scuffle after Miles strikes back furiously. The presence of the bully, like the shark appearing on the boat or the father’s turn of temper, are as unpredictable as the sea. It creates a tension for the boys who seem to have no relief from trouble. Gary returns the tooth after he is told that it is connected to Mile’s mum.

Harry looks for George and is lead to him by Jake’s barking. George invites him to go fishing in the boat but as Harry is scared of water he declines. George decides they can fish off the wharf. Harry is still reluctant as he expects he might damage something or get George upset. This shows how Harry’s homelife has robbed him of a caring and safe relationship. They have success catching fish and Harry feels comforted sitting with George while he hums.

Miles continues to work on the boat and visits the cannery, where he remembers the warning that after a family loses their boat, this is the place the children end up working. This end-of-the-line job for small town communities shows a lack of hope for Miles and contrasts Joe’s intention to sail away to warmer places. Miles’ trip home is traumatic as his father drives erratically and endangers them both by flirting with an oncoming truck.

Harry and George spend time picking apples and exploring the area where George used to live. There is a peace between them, symbolically displayed by Jake running from one to the other. George offers Harry apples but he cannot take them home out of fear of his father.

The contrast between George and the boys’ father is profound. George is nurturing and quiet, while the fisheries inspector visit highlights the father’s lack of integrity.

Chapters 21-25

Chapters 21–25

Pages 127 - 154

Miles reflects on the path taken by Joe as a carpenter and how he wishes he could have pursued his dream of working with fine wood like his grandfather. His dream, cut short, like the unwanted job on the boat and the threat of a job in the cannery are typical of the lack of hope presented to Miles. It is this lack of hope that Joe conveys to Miles which leaves him furious. They surf together and the integration with the powerful waves lets them escape for a while, leaving them cleansed. They laugh together but the mood changes when Joe announces he is ready to leave.

Despite the empty cupboards, representing how little the father has to offer the children, Miles steps in to feed Harry -  always shielding him from the harsh life. However he cannot protect him from the grown men when Mr Curren and Jeff are drinking heavily. Harry tries to quietly get to the bathroom but is caught by the drunken men. Jeff calls him a retard and forces him to drink whiskey. Miles tries to step in again but is pushed against the table, causing him a severe injury. The father does nothing to help the boys. Instead he gives Miles a look similar to the one he gave Joe before he broke his arm years earlier. Miles and Harry flee. The boys end up at George’s place where they are fed and given a warm place to stay, an oasis in their troubled world. Miles returns to work.

Chapters 26-30

Chapters 26-30

Pages 155 - 178

Miles’ night of security gives him pause to consider and dream about his grandfather and the idea of getting tools and working with wood; the taming of an element of nature a stark contrast to wrestling the beast of the ocean and the beast that resides within his father. He remembers a time when he was with his mother and she had told him that she wanted to leave and had tried to once before.

When Miles wakes up George is not there. He is surprised that Harry is so at home and helping himself to food. Harry asks about Joe leaving but Miles does not answer. Miles takes Harry to Stuart’s house and later drops off clothing for him. This is the continued act of support for his younger sibling which endears him to readers. Harry goes shopping with Stuart’s mother and buys George tea. Stuart’s mother, along with Mr Roberts and Aunty Jean, are aware of the boys’ situation but fail to intervene for their protection.

Miles’ return to the empty house gives him a chance to see a photograph of his mother taken at Cloudy Bay. He remembers the day the photo was taken and how close Uncle Nick and his mother seemed. This is another piece of the puzzle revealed to the reader. The sunlight reflecting off the frame and the pleasant memory of the day are a clean juxtaposition to the leftover mess left by Jeff and Mr Curren. Miles’ father returns with fish and chips and the two share an awkward meal.

Harry buys a gift of tea for George at the local shop. Harry decides to no longer stay with Stuart and his mother and gives Stuart his dart gun as a gift. ​

Chapters 31-33

Chapters 31-33

Pages 179 - 193

Harry reflects on how important Miles is to him after he sees a picture of George’s brother who was lost in the war. The sibling bond is fundamental to the novel. The idea that siblings stretch to make up for deficits in the parents is noble but the text ultimately shows that there is no substitution for genuine nurturing as the characters are still searching for security.

After a long day at work, Miles naps in the car on the way home and has a dream of the night his mother was going to take him and flee. The dream is interrupted as they come across Harry walking home. The two show their natural reaction immediately, the father flying into a rage and Miles keen to see if Harry is alright.

Chapters 34-39

Chapters 34-39

Pages 195 - 225

After a night in which Harry witnesses the southern lights and reflects on nature’s beauty, Mr Curren intervenes in the early hours of the morning. Still furious about Harry wandering around he demands Harry join them in the boat. Harry asks Miles to try and persuade the father to let him stay home. Miles collects some warm clothes for Harry and they set out with Dad. Harry is afraid of the water and his father does not care, ignoring his tears. Miles, as always, tries to comfort Harry. Harry’s relationship with water is almost a premonition of his fate. Miles gives Harry the shark tooth to soothe him.

Jeff meets them at the wharf and tells them the sea is wild. Much like their father. They see Mr Roberts but cannot wave because their father is there and he is unable to tolerate Mr Roberts since he had become successful. This scene of the boys entering the boat while Mr Roberts watches on is typical of how some young people who are in desperate need of out of home support fail to receive it due to constraining social conditions.

On the boat, Miles tells Harry a local story about one of the islands. The story about a woman who fled to live alone is a stark contrast to most people’s desire to get away from rugged community. The story is interrupted as Miles realises the engine has stopped and the air flow to Dad and Jeff has been interrupted. He tries desperately to restart the engine. The enormity of the pressure and responsibility on such a young person is apparent.

Mr Curren and Jeff make it to the surface but have blood coming from their face, a sign that they were oxygen-deprived and have surfaced too quickly. The father is furious and immediately turns his rage to Miles. He knocks Miles overboard and as Miles tries to climb aboard he is held down by his father. This unnatural act is only interrupted by Harry. Harry kicks and fights his father then calls for help on the radio. Aware that they are illegally fishing in protected waters, Mr Curren is further enraged. The selfishness in his concern for his own wellbeing to avoid a fine in contrast to his murderous rage at the boys is stark. Mr Curren turns to Harry and notices the shark tooth. It belonged to uncle Nick and he remembers that his brother had betrayed him and was leaving with his wife. Harry responds that he is glad. The bottled rage is unleashed. He pushes Harry overboard.

As Miles attempts to reach Harry he is held back by his deranged father who explains that he took Nick’s body from the car wreck that night so nobody would know. As he tells Miles that Miles is his son, the implication that Harry is Nick’s child is reinforced. Although this gives us insight into the torturous state of the father’s mind, his actions are still inexcusable.

Miles breaks free and selflessly jumps into the sea to find Harry. After grabbing the small boy he attempts to swim toward the nearby island. He struggles with the waves until they come to a more calm place but Miles is overcome by the temperature and drifts out of consciousness. He hears Harry tell him that he is no longer afraid of water; a sign that the youngest sibling has found peace at last.

This sentiment of peace is reiterated as Harry is transported in a vision of a perfect day. He is chasing the puppy Jake. George is there and it is sunlit and dreamlike. He can fly like a bird. Symbolically, returning to the start of the novel, the lone cormorant that Harry was concerned about, lost and injured, is now free.

Chapters 40-43

Pages 227 - 251

Miles wakes in hospital and is drifting in and out of consciousness. Joe is there and tells him that they found Harry, and that he looked peaceful. The dreamlike state gives opportunity for memories of the crash night to prevail. Miles remembers clearly that they were packed into the car and that Uncle Nick came with them. He recalls affection between Nick and his mother and Harry. He tells Joe the truth about that evening.

Joe and Miles spend time together at Grandad’s house and visit the current house. No one knows where their father has gone. The funeral is arranged, George will be there and Stuart. Miles finally breaks down and lets himself cry. His brother is there for him, emphasising the special bond that siblings may share.

The storm has passed, both literally and metaphorically; the devastated landscape symbolic of the destruction in the young boy’s lives. A chance encounter with Mr Robert’s son Justin at a surf spot returns Miles to a simpler time, part of a now missed childhood. Miles can feel his mother and Harry with him like when they used to wait for him in the car with fish and chips.

The boys and George have their own private moment on the beach reflecting on their shared affection for Harry and returning some of his beach treasures to the sand. Without the presence of the father the scene seems mature and cordial, deep respect and true relationships can flourish. The boys bid George farewell and prepare to start their new adventure on Joe’s boat. Finally, escape.