This stunning, prize-winning novel, set alongside the Yarra River, is heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure.

‘You find yourself down at the bottom of the river, for some it’s time to give in to her. But other times, young fellas like you two, you got to fight your way back. Show the river you got courage and is ready to live.’

The river is a place of history and secrets. For Ren and Sonny, two unlikely friends, it’s a place of freedom and adventure. For a group of storytelling vagrants, it’s a refuge. And for the isolated daughter of a cult reverend, it’s an escape.

Each time they visit, another secret slips into its ancient waters. But change and trouble are coming - to the river and to the lives of those who love it. Who will have the courage to fight and what will be the cost?