Floundering

Tom and Jordy have been living with their gran since the day their mother, Loretta, left them on her doorstep and disappeared.

Now Loretta’s returned, and she wants her boys back.

Tom and Jordy hit the road with Loretta in her beat-up car. The family of three journeys across the country, squabbling, bonding, searching and reconnecting.

But Loretta isn’t mother material. She’s broke, unreliable, lost. And there’s something else that’s not quite right with this reunion.

They reach the west coast and take refuge in a beachside caravan park. Their neighbour, a surly old man, warns the kids to stay away. But when Loretta disappears again the boys have no choice but to ask the old man for help, and now they face new threats and new fears.

This beautifully written and gripping debut is as moving as it is frightening, and as heartbreaking as it is tender.

Praise for Floundering:

‘Suspenseful, tough and moving, this book had to be written. I can see the film already.’

Robert Drewe

‘Ash writes with a child’s voice that is utterly convincing, cast adrift in a world you will sorrowfully recognise at once as the one we all share. These boys are so real, you will lie awake worrying about them, hoping that somehow they will find their way through it.’

Cate Kennedy

‘Ash’s novel deftly captures the fading innocence of a boy who witnesses more than he understands; what he leaves unsaid is as revealing as what he articulates. Floundering blends spare but elegant prose with a gripping plot and an assured sense of place. It’s an impressive first novel that heralds the arrival of a talented new voice in Australian literary fiction. 4 stars.‘

Australian Bookseller + Publisher

‘Romy Ash’s talent as writer is obvious from the novel’s opening pages. Her debut novel is perfectly precise and devastatingly amazing. The plight of Tom and Jordy will break your heart but you will stick by them until the end.’ Read the full review here.

Bite the Book

‘The writing in Floundering is impressive. The voice of the young narrator rings consistent and true, the characters feel honestly portrayed, and the countryside and unrelenting heat are depicted so clearly that they almost become supporting characters, shaping the story as strongly as any person.’

Australian Book Review

‘[Romy Ash’s debut] is full of heart. Her voice is already strong, her writing assured….It is the unusual way that Ash describes their world that captures the reader’s imagination…The story arc is straightforward—a rarer, more difficult feat than it seems-—and the end is the perfect finale. What can’t be learnt is the empathy and honesty of this moving, sometimes chilling first novel…Reminiscent of Favel Parret’s recent Past the Shallows, and as Australian as Kenneth Cook’s Wake in Fright, it’s a cracking debut.’

Louise Swinn, Weekend Australian

‘While the premise of a sprawling rural journey may be relatively straightforward, Ash’s telling is anything but. The writing is visceral and observant, and clearly brings to life the intensely focused gaze of childhood….Floundering is a strong, resonant debut that hopefully signals what’s to come.’

Readings Monthly

‘Though much of this novel is chilling, the pleasure of Ash’s debut comes from the comforting familiarity of her rendering of a particular aspect of life in a coastal country, captured so uncannily it feels at times like looking at a fading photo from your childhood…What is remarkable about this book, and demonstrates Ash’s incredible skill as a novelist, is the way she is simultaneously able to write often strikingly beautiful, evocative prose, but still remain ever-convincingly in the voice of a young child… Ash uses to great effect the confined spaces of a car and then a small caravan. But the real setting of the novel is the relationship between the two boys and an ambiguous adult, whether it be their mother Loretta or their reclusive caravan site neighbour, Nev….A beautiful, spare, affecting debut. Highly recommended.’

Liti-cism blog

‘Part of Floundering’s unfaltering trepidation hinges on the intense hope that Tom won’t grasp what the reader already has….Ash’s tale may be an inherently moral one but it is never didactic. As the reader rages against the characters along the way who do nothing to help, what remains is the possibility that these floundering boys, brimming with life, will endure.’

Melbourne Review

‘A frightening yet tender tale that will have you in its grip.’

Yen magazine

‘An impressive debut.’

Australian Women's Weekly

‘Floundering is a held breath and should be read in a single sitting, letting the delicate horror pull you along.’

Sunday Mail Brisbane

‘Ash concentrates on the quiet moments: the lost opportunities flashing by the car window, and the gaping rift between parent and child.’

Big Issue

‘This is a memorable first novel for Melbourne-based Romy Ash, written with disarming charm in the voice of Tom and with a child’s naïve perceptions. There is a compelling simplicity to its structure that is thoroughly engaging.’

Christchurch Press (NZ)