Eighteen-year-old Witi's father is listed as having abandoned his family and that's just how Witi sees it. But when he is on his surfboard, feeling the surge of the sea, he somehow feels close to him. He also knows his rock-star father was diagnosed as schizophrenic, and lately Witi has been wondering if it is something he could have inherited. He's hearing things... and sometimes seeing things, and the pull to hit the surf is getting stronger. Alana, his girlfriend, is sticking close and his new Aussie friend, Jordy, is eager to come along, when they try to locate the source of energy that seems to be driving him. Meantime Cyclone Trudy is getting closer and closer.Set on New Zealand's East Coast. "Nor' East Swell is a riveting weave of adventure, danger and the limitless power of the natural world that had me exclaiming out loud... Topp has woven mysticism and the industrialisation of climate change with the sheer poetry and joy of living in and with...

Award-winning YA novel set in a surfing culture. The page-turning story traces Fin's journey from hitting rock bottom to making his way back to the surface.Jamie Finland is a 19-year-old who has turned his back on his mum and headed north to the coast. When local 'soul' surfer Mike Taylor saves his life one day, a strong friendship is formed. Fin lives on the thought of surfing that next wave and partying hard with his best mate and new life mentor. But Mike is killed and Jamie is left alone. After the accident, Fin is 'adopted' by Mike's Uncle Bobby, who runs a large farming operation down the coast. Fin is starting to get used to his new life when Mike's younger cousin, Jack, freshly expelled from boarding school, arrives on the farm to learn a work ethic. Jack is the complete opposite to Mike and this causes friction with Fin. Then Jack discovers surfing, and Fin is pressured into fighting the demons he thought he had shut away for good.Winner of the Best First Young...