An audio book.
In the prolog a man tells a woman that if she's going to do it, she should do it now.
Kieran is back in Evelyn Bay (Tazmania), a seasonal tourist village. The season's coming to a close, boats have "tarps strewn like shrouds across their decks". Kieran's with his girlfriend Mia and 3-month old daughter Audrey. Mia had left the town when 14. Kieran and Mia had met at university. His mother Verity is about to move into a flat close to the home where his demented father Brian will be. The scuplture in the sea by an old wreck is nicknamed "the survivors".
He meets Ash who he used to play football with. Olivia used to be an urban planner but she's returned, going out with Ash. She lives with Bronte. Sean is a diver. Liam says Kieran is a killer - of Liam's father (Kieran's uncle) and Kieran's brother. Julian is Liam's stepfather.
Bronte is found drowned. Somebody had drowned her. Liam was the last to see her - he'd given her a lift home and had gone in with her.
The backstory is that 12 years before, Kieran had been showing Olivia caves that flooded at high tide. He'd struggled to get out in time. Attempting to save him in a boat, 2 men died in a storm. Gabe (14 then; Olivia's younger sister and Mia's friend) died too, apparently swept away. Brian, a teacher then had been the last to see her. Kieran's mother thinks the storm improved him as a person.
Brian's confused now, mixing up current events with the events of 12 years before. He was out wandering when Bronte died. He's capable of violence when people get in his way - he bruised Mia when she was carrying Audrey.
George Barnum, a famous writer (ex-journalist), has bought a house in the town - Ash's grandmother's house, whose garden Ash had cared for. George got an external gardener in.
Sean and Kieran had been best mates. Now Sean and Ash were.
George works out that the boat was already at sea before the call for help about Kiernan. So the deaths weren't Kieran's fault - they'd gone to sea to save Sean. Sean tel Kieran that Gabby (14) had come to the shipyard to look for her sister. Sean put her rucksack in the boat then the 2 of them set off to the caves. She was excited, wanting to etch her name in tunnels like the others did. He kissed her. Her rejected him. He feared humiliation from his friends. He expected her to follow him out of the caves but she drowned.
Sean walks into the sea. Kieran starts walking in to save him then turns back when Mia appears.
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