Bradley Christmas, Saltwater Boy, Walker Books Australia, March 2023, 272 pp., RRP $18.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760656393
Christmas’ debut YA novel Saltwater Boy packs a punch with pangs of emotion, anger, violence, friendship and family dynamics, all interwoven in a carefully sensitive and powerful text for readers 13 and over. The story focuses on teenage Matthew, whose mum drops the bombshell they have been evicted from their rental, and must leave their familiar little town, and friends, behind. With his Dad in prison, and their relationship strained, Matthew has no real father figures to help or guide him in this tricky adolescent period, and his Mum works so hard as a waitress by day and artist by night that he feels he can’t bother her with his worries and qualms.
Matthew and mum decide to move to the coast, to fix up and then sell their late grandfather’s beach shack – it’s somewhere to live, for now, despite its decrepit condition. The locals are nosy but friendly in this small coastal community and Matthew slowly begins to fit in, and even takes up a father figure friendship with Old Bill, the Indigenous man who lives on the beach beside them. Finally, Matthew and Mum feel at peace, with hope and happiness seeping into their days. Maybe this is the place they’re meant to be – until Dad is released from prison and swarms to his family in the beach shack, bringing his anger and frustration with him, and Matthew worries that their new home of peace and serenity is about to come crashing down.
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 prose is searing and raw while still emotive with truth in every word, and every piece of subtext, as well. The characters are well-drawn, verging on real people – and Christmas has finely tuned his dialogue to be astoundingly realistic. The pulsating tension builds and rises consistently through the story, and we the reader are throttled back and forth, round and round, along with Matthew, as we go on the journey of his story. His fraught relationship with his father is a true rollercoaster of tension yet offset nicely by the tender mentorship the boy experiences with Old Bill, who is a calming leading presence in the story. While there are references to domestic violence, it is handled with care, and doesn’t overwhelm the narrative.
All in all, it’s a fine debut, and clearly evident of a bright future for Bradley Christmas. I can’t wait for the next one. Perfect for teen readers.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Brenton Cullen
