'Water Under Water is the story of Jim and Tom Campion, a father and son who share a passion for the water. Jim is a high achiever - Tom has Down Syndrome. The novel is as much about their struggle to love and accept each other as it is a boy's coming of age tale.
'Tom and his Adventurers Club, all young adults with special needs, go on a white water rafting weekend with two carers. Jim, Tom's dad, at the insistence of his wife Fran, is to drive and join them. Tom is now 19 and Fran has told Jim that she is not sure that she can love Jim anymore as she does not believe that he has allowed himself to love Tom in the same way he loves James, their older son. The rafting trip is a test of love - in every direction. And it tests a lot more.
'Challenging the stability of a long-term marriage and what can wrench it apart or fritter it away, the constitution of a perfect family, independence and adventure, living with disabilities - this novel is about love.' (Publisher's synopsis)
Writing Disability in Australia:
| Type of disability | Down syndrome. |
| Type of character | Primary. |
| Point of view | Third person (not the disabled character). |
