Winner of the 2010 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Young Adult Fiction prize. Readers¬†of Tim Winton’s Breath¬†will be drawn to¬†Kirsty Eagar’s¬†Raw Blue, an achingly beautiful¬†young adult¬†novel set in Sydney’s northern beaches.¬†Winner of¬†the 2010¬†Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, it is a haunting story¬†about finding your passion in life. Carly has dropped out of uni to¬†spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly caf√©. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing … and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago. Then she meets Ryan and Carly has to decide.¬†Will she¬†let the past bury her? Or¬†can she¬†let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy? Check out Kirsty Eagar’s¬†website at www.kirstyeagar.com,¬†and read her¬†blog¬†to find out about her thoughts on books, writing, music, surfing, and finding inspiration, or visit betweenthelines.com.au -¬†the destination for Young Adult books. Praise for Raw Blue:’Kirsty Eagar’s fearless Raw Blue, a story of regeneration set on Sydney’s northern beaches, is much more than just a promising debut: this one delivers.’ Australian Book Review ‚Äì Best Books of 2009: Critics’ Choices’Kirsty Eagar’s first novel explores dark territory with skill and sensitivity.’The Age’An emotionally rich and powerful first novel.’Canberra Times¬†’If you only read one book this year … it should be Kirsty Eagar’s Raw Blue ‚Ķ one of those kept-me-up-all-night novels that stays in your bones and sings in your ears long after you’ve finished it. It wouldn’t be out of place next to Tim Winton’s Breath, except this is the ocean as healer, not as an object to be conquered, or the site of self-destruction, of risk. The images crackle, the lines are full of the poetry of observation, the story is searing, gutting, beautiful. This should be compulsory reading for all teenagers ‚Äì especially boys.’julialawrinson.livejournal.com’This is a psychologically intense novel that involves even non-surfing readers in the release Carly feels when conquering the waves ‚Ķ we empathise with her in the long battle between desire and fear on the path to self-acceptance.’Magpies¬†’I read this book feverishly, desperate for a happy ending, and afterwards found it difficult to get Carly and the men who ride into her life out of my mind.’Newcastle Herald¬†'[a] very moving book ‚Ķ It’s dark subject matter, but Eagar makes it uplifting.’Sunday Territorian¬†’A memorable first book by a writer who gives an honest approach to what young adults face growing up ‚Äì and growing wiser.’Woman’s Day Read of the Week