The Life

He looked into the Pacific and the Pacific looked back into him. Now bloated and paranoid, former champion surfer and legend Dennis Keith is holed up in a retirement village, trying not to think about the waves he'd made his own and the breaks he once ruled like a god. Years before he'd been robbed of the world title that had his name on it - and then drugs, his family, and the disappearance of his girlfriend had done the rest. Out of the blue, a young would-be biographer comes knocking and stirs up memories he thought he'd buried. It takes Dennis a while to realise that she's not there to write his story at all. Funny, heartbreaking and humane, The Life confirms what the Literary Review has known all along - 'Knox is, quite simply, a fabulous writer.'

Malcolm Knox is the author of Summerland, Adult Book and Jamaica, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Award in Australia in 2009 and won the Colin Roderick Award. He is also a Walkley-Award-winning journalist and author of many non-fiction titles. He's an obsessively enthusiastic surfer who writes about waves with authority and great passion.