Shallows is set in the fictional town of Angelus, Western Australia. It's a town built on the whaling industry, and the industry is dying.
At first I though Angelus was a real town. I knew I had read the name somewhere else, but couldn't pin it down. A quick google serach (where would we be without google!) showed the reason it was familiar is because Winton has used it as a setting in more than one book.
The book focuses on a handful of characters, their relationship with the town, the whales and how the arrival of "Greenies" in the town affect them.
I find it really hard to review Winton's books. I love the way he writes. The more I read, the more sure I am that I will end up owning his books rather than just borrowing them from the library. But I think I'm not intellectual enough to truly understand them! There is lots of imagery and bits where I'm sure I'm suppose to be getting some deeper meaning. In the end though, I enjoy reading the books and that's all that really matters - right?