A dazzling novel about surfing that also explores the issues of adoption. "All they lived for was the white pumping surf...young men, dressed in crazycoloured wet suits, cutting through the breakers...The very sight of them made his body zing..." Matt hero-worships the surfers, who bring a taste of freedom and adventure to the grey northern seaside town where he lives. He'd love to be one of them down on the beach, riding the waves, instead of visiting old Florrie for a school history project. There's a lot more to Florrie, though, than meets the eye, and her personal history has some uncanny similarities to Matt's own. Through his friendship with Florrie, he learns to surf his own sometimes rough sea of relationships, negotiating and balancing the pulls of emotions he experiences.