When Loonie and Pikelet started to surf, they cycled from Angelus to the beach with their styrofoam boards, buffeted by the wind and, when they finally got to the sea, the waves. They couldn"t help it: they were terrified; they were addicted. Among the local surfers, one guy stood out. He turned up alone, when the swell was highest, and left the rest of them for dead. Gradually Loonie and Pike got to know this loner, Sando, who took them under his wing. Half a lifetime later, Pike can"t free himself from where the ride took him. Breath is Tim Winton at his finest: a beautiful, gripping, deeply moving novel about our need for excitement and to push ourselves to the limits; about the power of the sea; and how ordinary people live with tragedy.