‘Jack returns to his empty childhood home seeking a quiet life but is instead thrust into an epic battle to help save his neighbour Tom from a drug addiction. Amid a cycle of violence and desperation, Jack falls in love with Tom’s sister Amy – an old friend – and the two rediscover a special bond as they nostalgically reflect on the past and bravely confront the present. Tom Climbs the Fence is a revealing story of one man’s struggle to regain his life, told by someone witnessing – and living – his pain. It is a raw insight into addiction and its devastating effects, and the courage and love needed to fight it.’
Tom Climbs the Fence is the debut novel by Australian writer Shane Worrell, published in 2010. Tom Climbs the Fence is set in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia and told from the perspective of a neighbour and close friend trying to understand and hoping to save a lifelong friend from heroin addiction.[1]
Worrell said he drew from his own experiences to produce an honest account of the realities of trying to help a family member or friend through addiction.[2]
Unlike many depictions of addiction, Tom Climbs the Fence focuses more on the emotional consequences than the graphic drug use.[3]
Geoff Brown -Writer 