Allee Richards' Tight Lines Explores Male Fragility and Adolescence

Allee Richards' new novel 'Tight Lines' examines young masculinity and emotional trauma in a small coastal town on Victoria's Gippsland coast. The story follows three friends—twins Matty and Josh, and their friend Luke—through their final years of high school. Josh is drawn to surfing, while Matty finds solace in fishing and study. Luke longs for the brotherhood the twins share. The boys meet Millie, a girl from Melbourne, who returns for three summers, deepening their friendships as they experiment with drinking, drugs, and sexual desires. On New Year's Eve after finishing school, a car accident changes their lives forever. The novel shifts between perspectives, building suspense and exploring how each character carries their own version of events. Richards examines toxic masculinity and inherited emotional trauma, showing how families bottle up feelings to protect one another. The novel verges on a happy ending but leaves character arcs unresolved, reflecting that life rarely offers perfect closure. 'Tight Lines' is published by Summit Books Australia (Simon & Schuster).