This stunning debut novel from Robin Falvey is an elemental story about a boy and the sea. Set on the rugged Cornish Coast, it’s about growing up, coming to terms, and moving on. If you’re in need of a breath of fresh Atlantic Ocean air, this book delivers! 15-year-old Jacob is a Cornish kid with big problems. For starters, there's the fact that he’s sprawled in the road with a van about to run him over. But when the van stops, and the driver gets out, instead of yelling at him, he grabs a beat-up surfboard from the back and gives it to him. The guy smiles like he knows something good is about to happen and drives away. For Jacob, the board – a Fulmar – is an unexpected birthday gift, and, for the first time in a long time, he dares to dream of a better life. But his Dad’s dead, his mum’s addicted to cigarettes and daytime TV, he doesn’t fit in at school, and now he’s in trouble with the police. On the upside, there’s Karl, the surf lifeguard who saves him from drowning and teaches him how to swim. Then there’s learning to surf, lifeguard training, and Jade – the brainy surfer girl he's desperate to impress. Can Jacob take the peace he finds in the surf and use it to make wiser choices? Can he make the most of this second chance and become a team player his fellow lifeguards can trust? Not everyone wants the best for Jacob; in the end, he'll have to choose his path. What price is Jacob willing to pay to break free of old ways, find the summer inside himself, and finally become the person he was always meant to be? Praise for Fulmar ‘A wonderfully gritty and gripping debut.’ Tim Hannigan, The Granite Kingdom ‘Heart-pounding and poignant.’ Caroline Ambrose, The Bath Novel Awards ‘This elemental story of a boy and the sea wakes up our own dreams and inspires us to follow them.’ Lucy Van Smit, The Hurting ‘An utterly unforgettable you’ll be rooting for Jacob at every turn.’ Maggie Harcourt, The Pieces of Ourselves ‘A nuanced and affecting story that will stay with me for a long time.’ Catherine Barter, We Played with Fire About the Author Robin Falvey spent many years as a surfer, surf lifeguard, surf club captain, and surf lifeguard trainer in Devon. Eventually, he moved to New Zealand, where he crewed yachts and was a deckhand on the tall ship the Soren Larsen. After sailing thousands of miles across the Southern Ocean and South Pacific, he returned to the UK to train as a journalist at Falmouth University. He has been living in Cornwall ever since.