"Theroux's work is like no one else's." -Francine Prose, New York Times
Book Review
From legendary writer Paul Theroux comes an atmospheric novel
following a big-wave surfer as he confronts aging, privilege, mortality,
and whose lives we choose to remember.
Now in his sixties, big-wave surfer Joe Sharkey has passed his prime and
is losing his "stoke." The younger surfers around the breaks on the
north shore of Oahu still idolize the Shark, but his sponsors are
looking elsewhere. One night, while driving home from a bar after one
too many, Joe accidentally kills a stranger near Waimea, a tragedy that
sends his life out of control. As the repercussions of the accident
spiral ever wider, Joe's devoted girlfriend Olive throws herself into
uncovering the dead man's identity and helping Joe find vitality and
refuge in the waves again.
Set in the lush, gritty underside of an island paradise readers rarely
see, Under the Wave at Waimea offers a dramatic, affecting commentary
on privilege, mortality, and the lives we choose to remember. It is a
masterstroke by one of the greatest writers of our time.