Watermark

'Around her, the land and the sea and the sky stretched out forever. She staggered out of the water, gasping for air, and fell onto the sand. She took deep breaths and pressed against it, forcing herself in deeper ...'

Rising and recoiling like the ocean, Watermark cracks open the coastal idyll of a quintessentially Australian seaside landscape to reveal shifting sands, fractured relationships, and innocence lost against a backdrop that is constantly changing.

Meet a boy with dyslexia who finds the right words in the ocean, a drifter and her son who seek anonymity, only to discover the true meaning of home, and a widower whose dog helps him cope with the aftermath of his wife’s death.

In a world of uncertainty and disorder, the characters in Watermark cross boundaries in situations that are darkly comical, menacing or chaotic but, ultimately, transformative. All to the rhythmic pulse of a changing tide.

About the Author

Joanna Atherfold Finn was runner-up in the Carmel Bird Short Fiction Award and two of her short stories were published in the 'Amanda Lohrey Selects' series. Watermark is her first book of short stories and she is working on her first novel. She has taught creative writing at the University of Newcastle and tutors primary and high school students in English and creative writing. After receiving the Herald University of Newcastle Journalism award on completing her communications degree, Joanna changed her focus to creative writing, completed English honours and was awarded the University Medal. She lives in Port Stephens.