THE region’s rock lobster industry and its colourful characters have been weaved into a new fictional novel by Nelson author Jim Ewing.
The book – Two That Got Away – has been described as a “wonderful intense humanistic novel”.
Mr Ewing has worn many hats over a rich and well-travelled life – a merchant seaman, rock lobster fisher, professional footballer, boxer, journalist, psychiatric nurse, stockman, oil rig worker, bulldozer operator, actor, playwright and farmer.
His vast experience weaves through the narrative of the book, giving it an authentic spine.
An astute observer, Mr Ewing is a natural storyteller and a quintessential Australian raconteur who has a gift for the Australian vernacular.
Every character has a nickname, no subject is taboo and nothing is sacred.
Mr Ewing has crafted a wickedly funny, irreverent story with rich characters encrusted in the Australian coastline.
The protagonist Walrus (Rus), a broken-hearted writer, takes a job as a deckhand aboard a vessel skippered by Possum, a seasoned salty battling mental illness.
It’s a slow, melodic tale that shifts between the introspection of Rus, the redneck characters of an insular fishing village and the impending doom of being out at sea with a skipper on the edge.
As ABC radio personality Peter Goers noted when he interviewed Jim last month: “there’s something in this book to offend everybody. Everyone, at some stage, gets it in the neck.”
The creative author has a myriad of tales to tell about his life, including the time when a large thresher shark spectacularly jumped into his 14 foot dingy off the Limestone Coast.
According to Mr Ewing, it was a classic “belly-flop landing” by the 10-foot shark that catapulted between him and another fisher.
Sitting down with The Border Watch ahead of the book launch at the Mount Gambier Library this Sunday, Mr Ewing described the novel as an “ocean tale like no other”.
“It’s been deliberately written as a literary meal. You have to read it slowly and absorb it … it goes along in the same pace as a fishing day,” he said.
“A character goes back and forth in time in his mind. He and his skipper are waiting to see if the weather will allow them to go out to sea.
“Once they’re out in the ocean, the story goes up a gear. It goes from first gear and skips to top gear.”
Fine-tuning his ocean tale adventure since 2015, Mr Ewing said he was thrilled the book had made it onto the publishing list.
“When I was writing the first draft, I was also working on a lobster boat. A lot of the first draft was written in a beach shack at Green Point east of Port MacDonnell,” he explained.
Inspiration also flowed from his lifetime of adventures.
“The reason why I started writing in my late 20s is because when I was travelling I kept meeting fantastic characters along the way,” Mr Ewing said.
Mr Ewing has also had several plays produced for stage and radio and his short stories have appeared in publications as diverse as Penthouse and Meanjin.
Two that Got Away is his second published novel.
“One of the great things about writing a novel is that you can pay tribute to people – it’s nice to be able to do that,” the fictional writer said.
Weaved through the text of the book are tributes to several people.
“These are not direct tributes – they are indirect tributes. One guy was the template for the skipper – a character called Possum Wright in the book,” Mr Ewing said.
The author said he believed the book had a unique flavour because he was not a “trained writer”.
“I taught myself how to write – I have been at it for a long time, but it is my own style that is like no one else,” Mr Ewing said.
“The book is humorous – that is what appeals to people.”
A regional launch of the novel will be held at the Mount Gambier Library this Sunday at 1.30pm, which is a free event.
The book has been published by Black Pepper.
