Tim Winton's first Miles Franklin-winner, Shallows revolves around the ruthless commerce of whaling, and Queenie Cookson, who joins the fight to end it.

Whales have always been the life-force of Angelus, a small town on the south coast of Western Australia. Their annual passing defines the rhythms of a life where little changes, and the town depends on their carcasses. So when the battle begins on the beaches outside their town, and when Queenie Cookson, a local girl, joins the Greenies to make amends for the crimes of her whaling ancestors, it can only throw everything into chaos.

'Shallows is that rare thing, not historical fiction, but fiction which brings the history of a place to life . . . a major work of Australia literature.'Washington Post

'A profound and inspiring work of fiction.'The Age

'This is dazzling, dazzling. It makes the heart pound.' Los Angeles Times

'Shallows is more than a passionate meditation on the tragedy of whaling; it is in some ways a minimalist Moby Dick, a questioning of the ways of God to man and of man to God.'Sydney Morning Herald