The Swell

Kenna Ward travels from England to Australia to try to reconnect with her childhood best friend, Mikki. Mikki lives to surf and has recently gotten engaged to Jack, whom Kenna suspects is abusive and using Mikki for her money. Mikki and Jack bring Kenna to isolated Sorrow Bay, an idyllic beach that they and their surfer friends, “the Tribe,” guard jealously. The atmosphere among the secretive and hostile group is thick with undercurrents. Each person has secrets, and they egg each other on to increasingly dangerous and irresponsible challenges. Kenna is both repelled and attracted by the group, but her fear grows palpable when members of the Tribe turn up dead. While the book is mostly narrated by Kenna, each character has a chance to narrate at least one chapter. The story takes a while to get moving, then rushes through the character deaths and abrupt ending. Most characters are drawn with little depth, and the plots twists strain credulity.