The Dreams Of Summer Dartson
In the mid-west coastal town of Geraldton in Western Australia, six white and indigenous teenagers form binding friendships as they experience the joys and pains of adolescence. Thrown together at school, deep alliances develop into unbreakable bonds. In 2022 they form a brotherhood dedicated to making sense of their lives as they embark on the journey to becoming men.
Artistic Summer Dartson is their visionary and a dreamer, Spanner O’Toole has mechanical and engineering skills, Willie Mack is their scribe and wit, Bones Scully is their runner and science enthusiast Mozzie Buzzacott is the youngest of them. Tiny Jameson is their leader, guide and guardian. He drives an old Jeep Wrangler and is two years their senior.
Based in their tin shack at Lucky Bay, they develop a code, adopt Prince’s song 1999 as their anthem, and undergo tattooing as an initiation. They learn about the family and social issues each experiences as they set out on a series of adventures and quests to test the limits of their endurance.
When Mozzie Buzzacott, is found dead 100 metres below the Kalbarri Skywalk on 4 January, 2025, they have a mystery to solve and a murder to avenge. That part of the west coast is difficult for the Australian Border Force to patrol, and it has become a gateway for the drug smuggling cartels. The five surviving members of the group pit their wits against the latest murderous drug smugglers, and win.
The Dreams Of Summer Dartson is a spellbinding Young Adult YA coming-of-age story of adolescent boys maturing into men. Set during the distressing period of the banning of the Rock Lobster export to China, and just after the Covid lockdowns, this absorbing novel explores the themes of mateship and courage under fire with humour and evocative insight.