Eighteen-year-old Witi's father is listed as having abandoned his family and that's just how Witi sees it. But when he is on his surfboard, feeling the surge of the sea, he somehow feels close to him. He also knows his rock-star father was diagnosed as schizophrenic, and lately Witi has been wondering if it is something he could have inherited. He's hearing things… and sometimes seeing things, and the pull to hit the surf is getting stronger. Alana, his girlfriend, is sticking close and his new Aussie friend, Jordy, is eager to come along, when they try to locate the source of energy that seems to be driving him. Meantime Cyclone Trudy is getting closer and closer.

Set on New Zealand's East Coast.

"Nor' East Swell is a riveting weave of adventure, danger and the limitless power of the natural world that had me exclaiming out loud... Topp has woven mysticism and the industrialisation of climate change with the sheer poetry and joy of living in and with a natural element. Highly recommended for readers of about 14 years and up." - Louise Ward, NZ Herald.

About the Author:

Hawkes Bay based Aaron Topp is a former teacher and a writer. His first book Single Fin (Random, 2006) is a coming-of-age story about a boy obsessed with surfing. Based on a true story, Single Fin won an Honour Award in the Young Adult Fiction Category of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2007. His second book, Creating Waves, is a series of mini-biographies of famous creative New Zealanders who surf. 2015 saw the publication of Topp's Young Adult novel Hucking Cody (Mary Egan Publishing). The novel tells the story of Cody, a young mountain biker whose unlucky run with girls, his family, and his job starts him on a journey of self-discovery. Hucking Cody received a Storylines Notable Book Award in 2016 and was a finalist for the Young Adult Fiction Award in the 2016 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults