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Analysis Of The Book ' Past The Shallows ' By Favel Parrett

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Loss affects every relationship differently. Sometimes it brings people together, and sometimes it tears people apart. The novel “Past the Shallows”, written by Favel Parrett, is an excellent example of this, as it focuses on less vocalised subjects that most people in our society see as taboo. The aspects of society mentioned are points such as child abuse, alcohol addiction, pain, loss, and change, but most obviously the family centred in all this drama and the dysfunctional relationships formed between them. The story follows Miles, Harry, Joe, and their father, living on the south coast of Tasmania, and the struggles in their life. The themes of familial relationships, and loss feature throughout the novel, and will be discussed within this essay.

Familial relationships can change from good to bad remarkably easily, because of our personal investment in them. Think about any relationship between child and parent, it can flicker between fighting and laughing ten times a day! The novel demonstrates an extreme version of this, where ‘fighting’ has become the father’s abuse, and ‘laughing’ has become the safety the brothers feel in each other’s company. One example of this is near the end of the book, on the boat with Harry, Miles, and their dad. ‘Dad had Harry by the shoulders and he shook him like a rag doll. He dragged him out onto the deck. “These are protected waters, you idiot! You always fuck everything up. You always fuck everything!”’ The simile ‘shook him like a

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