Boy Overboard

An achingly insightful coming-of-age novel about discovering sexuality and selfhood. Hungry Creek runs out over mudflats and curves around to a tidal beach. Hungry Creek is where everything is put that nobody wants: a dump, a zoo, a loony bin. It is also a magical place. 'I'm two bits of mismatched bikini. M doesn't seem to belong to E . . .' Jamie is eleven, on the threshold of discovery. But he can't find the map that will explain where he fits in or who he is. His parents are away and he is staying with family friends. The sea is rising towards high tide, and he is a boy overboard.