On the Java Ridge

by Jock Serong

Overview

In the nation’s capital, the Minister for Border Integrity is set to announce a hardline policy about offering assistance to asylum-seekers in boats. A group of Australian surf tourists have anchored their vessel, Java Ridge, beside an idyllic reef off the Indonesian coast. A few kilometers away, the Takalar is having engine trouble. Among the passengers fleeing from persecution are Roya and her pregnant mother. The storm now closing in on the two vessels will mean catastrophe for them all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781925498394
Publisher:	Text Publishing Company
Publication date:	06/12/2018
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jock Serong's debut novel Quota won the 2015 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Crime Novel. In 2016, The Rules of Backyard Cricket was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award. On the Java Ridge is his third novel. Jock teaches law and writes. He lives with his wife and four children in coastal Victoria. Jock Serong won the Ned Kelly Award for Quota and was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Rules of Backyard Cricket. It was a finalist for the prestigious UK Crime Writers Association Steel Dagger Award for Fiction 2017.

Editorial Reviews

04/30/2018
In this exciting thriller from Australian author Serong (The Rules of Backyard Cricket), Cassius Calvert, federal minister of border integrity in Canberra, announces a tough immigration policy days before national elections. No unauthorized boats, even those in distress, entering Australian waters will be given maritime assistance. Meanwhile, two such ships are approaching Australia: the Takalar, which is transporting refugees, and the Java Ridge, which is owned by a charter company taking surfers on holiday. Aboard the Takalar is a nine-year-old girl, Roya, who is fleeing the Taliban and has witnessed more tragedy than most adults. After a storm drives the two vessels to seek shelter on an island, Cassius prepares to meet the threat they pose with “remote measures” by the government’s “private sector partners, Core Resolve.” Meanwhile, Cassius must also deal with acute headaches of undetermined cause and his unsatisfactory long-distance relationship with his nine-year-old son, Rory. Serong does a masterly job building tension. Readers will have a tough time putting this one down. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for On the Java Ridge
‘Devastatingly brilliant…an emotionally grueling mix of high-octane action, life-and-death political maneuvering and, at its heart, an anguishing portrayal of worldwide refugee crises…Beautiful, mournful, infuriating and brimming with tension, On the Java Ridge is utterly incomparable.’— Shelf Awareness
‘Serong creates a sense of foreboding from the very start of his third novel, and then constantly ratchets up the tension with a keen sense of pacing.’— Books + Publishing
‘Terrifying, compelling.’— ABR
‘This is the mastery of Serong’s novel, understanding that fictional dystopias are at their most profound when they take the everyday and tilt it towards the darkness…it is a deeply considered novel that steers us to the logical conclusion of an entrenched system rooted equally in brutality and silence.’— The Monthly
‘Serong has his finger firmly on the pulse of current events: this is a thoroughly credible hypothetical, a truly intriguing and frighteningly believable “what if?” that is brilliantly executed, acutely topical and extremely relevant.’— Bookmooch
‘You might want to clear the decks before you start Jock Serong’s third thriller, because the odds are you won’t be able to put it down.’— SA Weekend

Praise for The Rules of Backyard Cricket ‘A deeply interesting novel about sibling rivalry, family, masculinity, and the game of cricket…Serong is a talented storyteller, and he brings this unusual world to life.’— Booklist ; ‘Beautifully written and acutely observed…a noir tour de force.’— Sydney Morning Herald ; ‘Serong writes pithy, pin-sharp dialogue…The book is expertly plotted, and its noirish climax with its dark drama and its final twists, is devastating. Get out and buy this book; it is the best new novel I’ve read this year.’— Crime Time [UK; ‘A novel of suspense, I heartily recommend it.’— Shots [UK]; ‘Serong’s writing displays wit, insight and occasionally, splendor.’— Books + Publishing

Praise for Quota :
‘IPitch-perfect dialogue, and a strong sense of place about this small town in particular. The characters there are particularly believable and…actually quite likeable (a bonus). All of these elements combine to make for a very engaging, and extremely realistic debut novel.’— Reviewing The Evidence

From the Publisher

Read More