Tim Winton writes on the dedication page of Scission, “this one is for Gonzo”, and his youth and astonishing rate of publication suggest that he may produce one for each of his friends and relatives. After bursting on the Australian literary world with An Open Swimmer Winton has published another novel, Shallows and this new collection of short stories.

The short stories reveal that Winton is not so precocious as he may seem. Several of them show the writer testing his abilities and playing with possibilities. The title story, in particular, tries almost every trick in the prose writer’s repertoire; others try out conventional approaches such as the diary of ‘Wake’ or the simple tale of ‘Neighbours’. Short story writing can be a flashy business and even good writers like Winton find it hard to resist playing for cheap thrills.