‘Grief is a whole-body flu,’ 16-year-old Silas observes after he breaks down trying to deliver a eulogy for his father. A legendary mountaineer, his father had died after apparently making a beginner’s mistake while trekking in Peru. Now, tabloid reporter Jacinta Maze is camped outside Silas’s house, eager for scraps of news.
Eve’s family, who live a self-sufficient and isolated existence, are dealing with their own all-encompassing grief. When her parents lock her in a bunker, Eve finds a way to escape. A free spirit who ‘craves the outdoors the way other people crave water’, she is determined to hike the Western Arthurs Traverse, a legendarily tough multi-day trek through the arctic southern region of Tasmania.
She invites Silas, a stranger, to join her. He decides he could use the escape. Both are elite survivalists – Eve is a master hunter, while Silas has learned from his father – but they clash as they tackle the muddy, leech-infested snow-covered terrain. Eve thinks Silas is privileged and arrogant, while he feels she’s strange and abrasive.
While its hard-bitten protagonists won’t be for everyone, Into the Storm is a gripping read, offering insights into why some people need to test their limits in nature’s wildest extremes.
Reviewed by Daniel Herborn
Age Guide 10+
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hayley Lawrence has been writing since she learned to hold a pencil. She is currently a lawyer in coastal NSW, where she lives with her five beautifully wild daughters.
Hayley’s work is haunted by the stories she encounters as a lawyer, through her daughters and in the incredible people who lay their souls bare to her.
Hayley’s novels have won fellowships and been shortlisted for the Vogel Literary Award. Her novels have also received critical acclaim with the Children’s Book Council of Australia, including an Honour Book Award in 2023.
Visit Hayley Lawrence’s website here.
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