Under the Wave at Waimea: Paul Theroux - Hardcover

Theroux, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0241504449 ISBN 13: 9780241504444

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton, 2021

Synopsis

From renowned writer Paul Theroux comes a dazzling novel following a big-wave surfer in Hawaii as he confronts ageing, privilege, mortality, and whose lives we choose to remember

'It was as if in surfing he was carving his name in water, invisibly, joyously.'

Joe Sharkey knows he is passed his prime.

Now in his sixties, the younger surfers around the breaks on the north shore of Oahu still revere him as the once-legendary 'Shark', but his sponsors have moved on, and Joe wonders what new future awaits him on the horizon. Uninterrupted quality time with the ocean, he hopes.

Life has other plans.

When he accidentally hits and kills a man near Waimea while drunk-driving, he fears he will never rebound. Under the direction of his stubbornly loyal girlfriend Olive, he throws himself into uncovering his victim's story. But what they find in Max Mulgrave is entirely unexpected: a shared history - and refuge in the sea.

Set on the stunning Hawaiian coast, Theroux captures the glory and nostalgia of looking back at a rich and adventurous past, whilst learning to ride out life's next unexpected wave.

'There is very little that Paul Theroux cannot fit onto a page. His writing skills are disciplined and muscular, his ear as finely tuned as a musician's, his eye sharper than any razor, and, in pinpointing the bizarre and the unexpected, he both entertains and underlines the absurdity of humans' Daily Mail

About this title

About the Author

Paul Theroux has written many works of fiction and travel writing, including the modern classics The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonian Express, My Secret History and The Mosquito Coast. He won the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing 2020.
Paul Theroux divides his time between Cape Cod and the Hawaiian islands.

From the Back Cover

Now in his sixties, big-wave surfer Joe Sharkey has passed his prime. The younger surfers around the breaks on the north shore of Oahu still call him the Shark, but his sponsors are looking elsewhere.
When Joe accidentally hits and kills a man near Waimea while driving home from a bar after a night of drinking, it seems he'll never rebound. Under the direction of his devoted girlfriend Olive, he throws himself into uncovering his victim's story. But what they find in Max Mulgrave is anything but expected: a shared history - and refuge in the waves.

With vivid, richly imagined detail, Theroux's latest novel explores the underside of an island paradise we rarely see.

Edition details

• Publisher: Hamish Hamilton
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0241504449
• ISBN 13: 9780241504444
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416