This coming of age story by Doris Lessing takes place as a British mother and her eleven-year-old son holiday at a foreign seaside resort. While the mother enjoys their regular “safe” swimming beach, she allows the boy to explore a nearby rocky cove. There, he watches local teenage boys as they dive from rocks and appear to navigate their way through a long underwater tunnel. Determined to match the dangerous feat and prove he is no longer a child, he practices for several days before trying himself. Themes include identity, isolation, independence, determination, courage, self-discipline and self-control.
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