The Drowners

"Kilworth achieves a great depth of emotion and storytelling." - Time Out

"...a gripping story, an array of memorable characters, a sense of period and community in prose that ripples with images from the waterlands." - Viewpoint, Melbourne University

"Always treat a river with respect," John Timbrell told each of his many children, when they reached an age of understanding. "Never take her for granted. She don't strike often, but when she do, it's quick as an adder. River's got no concerns for age whether you be a boy or a girl. It'll take what's there, and never a thank'ee left behind."

Tom Timbrell heeds his father's warning but still the river takes him - and with him goes the knowledge of the drowning fields which the local farmers rely upon for the successful tending of their land.

For the two years the farmers struggle hopelessly until, one day, a mysterious young boy appears and begins to teach Jem Blunden the ways of the river, a boy whose age remains untouched by the passing of years and bears a remarkable resemblance to Tom Timbrell...