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Study guide

A New Kind of Dreaming Study Guide

Anthony Eaton

Jamie Riley is sent to Port Barren, a remote town trapped between the desert and the sea, where he hopes to keep his head down and earn a fresh start. But the town is filled with uneasy silences, old secrets and a wrecked boat that seems to draw him in. As Jamie and Cameron begin asking questions, the heat, isolation and growing danger make every choice matter. Who is hiding the truth about the boat, and can Jamie uncover it before Port Barren turns against him?

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Chapters

Prelude: Awakening

Arrival

Port Barren

The Boat

Flaherty's Curse

Desert

Epilogue: A New Kind of Dreaming

Characters

Settings

Society & Values

Symbols

Themes

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A New Kind of Dreaming

Anthony Eaton

  1. Prelude: Awakening

  2. Prelude

    Six fishermen find a drifting boat that seems “dead”, surrounded by sharks and decay. Elliot pressures Mike to investigate. Inside, they discover many dead passengers and a surviving man. After Elliot attacks him, they hide the truth and prepare to tow the wreck, unaware they are watched.

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  3. Arrival
  4. Chapter 1

    Chapter 1 · Arrival in Port Barren

    Jamie Riley arrives in Port Barren, shocked by its heat, dust and isolation. After saying goodbye to Eddie, he meets Lorraine, who explains his placement and warns that this is his “last chance”. Jamie learns he will stay with Archie, but an uneasy feeling shadows his arrival.

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  5. Chapter 2

    Chapter 2 · Jamie's New Host

    Jamie meets Archie, the mysterious old man who will host him in Port Barren. After Lorraine warns him this is his “last chance”, Jamie follows Archie through the blazing desert, passes a drunken policeman, and reaches a silent, unsettling house, where he feels faint.

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  6. Chapter 3

    Chapter 3 · Police Welcome

    Jamie arrives at Port Barren and meets Sergeant Butcher, whose threatening behaviour quickly turns the town’s welcome into a warning. Butcher tells a disturbing story about another troubled boy who vanished, leaving Jamie frightened and unsure whom he can trust.

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  7. Port Barren
  8. Chapter 4

    Chapter 4 · Unease in the Night

    Unable to sleep, Jamie leaves Archie’s verandah and walks through Port Barren’s eerie darkness. He feels “being watched” near the admin building, where a hidden figure is revealed as the young cop. When the cop notices him and gives a half salute, Jamie runs into the shadows.

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  9. Chapter 5

    Chapter 5 · Meeting Cameron

    Jamie is urged to meet Cameron, the other senior at school, while Lorraine warns him about vandalism and Sergeant Butcher’s suspicions. When Jamie asks about two missing young people, Lorraine becomes guarded and tells him to “let people have their secrets.”

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  10. Chapter 6

    Chapter 6 · The Disturbing Vision

    Unable to sleep, Jamie is drawn through the silent town to Port Barren’s beach, where he finds a huge, abandoned boat. Touching its timber gives him an “electric shock”. At sunrise, Cameron discovers him, helps him up, and walks with him towards school.

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  11. Chapter 7

    Chapter 7 · The Wrecked Boat

    After a strange night beside the wreck, Jamie is taken by Robb to the police station. Butcher blames him for smashed windows, rejects his protest, “It wasn’t me,” and locks him in a scorching truck cage until Lorraine demands he be rescued.

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  12. Chapter 8

    Chapter 8 · The Nursing Station

    Jamie wakes in the mining company nursing station after collapsing. Lorraine explains that Cameron’s story gives him a weak alibi for the broken windows, but warns that Sergeant Butcher still suspects him. Jamie then suffers a disturbing nightmare and wakes in fear.

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  13. Chapter 9

    Chapter 9 · A New Ally

    Jamie thanks Cameron for helping him, then struggles to focus at school as memories of the wreck and the mysterious voice return. Drawn back to the boat, he explores its dangerous interior, but his uneasy discovery ends when he hears “someone was coming aboard”.

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  14. The Boat
  15. Chapter 10

    Chapter 10 · Trapped on the Boat

    Jamie hides in the wrecked boat as someone approaches, but a sudden sneeze reveals him. Cameron crashes through the deck, and their fear turns into laughter. Cameron then explains how Butcher spread false stories about Jamie before an approaching engine interrupts them.

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  16. Chapter 11

    Chapter 11 · Exploring the Wreck

    Jamie and Cameron hide inside the wreck when Butcher and Robb arrive. As the officers search the boat, the boys crawl into the dark bilges and hold their breath while Robb’s torch nearly exposes them. At last, Robb says he finds “nothing” and leaves without making a sound.

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  17. Chapter 12

    Chapter 12 · Escape from the Boat

    After hiding from Butcher and Robb, Jamie and Cameron escape the wreck. As they walk towards town, Cameron explains the boat’s frightening history: it was a refugee boat found by Butcher, and its survivor disappeared, leaving Jamie convinced that Butcher is hiding something.

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  18. Chapter 13

    Chapter 13 · The Boat's History

    Cameron explains the boat’s disturbing history: pirates attacked it, most passengers died, and a surviving girl later vanished from the nursing station. Jamie suspects Butcher is hiding something and decides to question McPherson, despite Cameron’s warning that “nothing makes sense”.

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  19. Chapter 14

    Chapter 14 · The Port Barren Pub

    Jamie enters the quiet Port Barren pub alone to question McPherson about the boat. The drunken policeman warns him to “be careful”, hinting that Butcher killed someone else and may strike again. After Jamie leaves, the barman secretly calls Butcher, raising the danger.

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  20. Chapter 15

    Chapter 15 · McPherson's Clues

    Jamie tries to understand McPherson’s warning that the girl “wasn’t the first person” Butcher killed. At Archie’s home, Lorraine questions his absence and notices his injuries. Jamie hides the truth, then asks about McPherson, making Archie suspicious.

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  21. Chapter 16

    Chapter 16 · Cameron's Visit

    Cameron tells Jamie that McPherson has died, making Jamie fear he is in danger. They discuss the boat’s painful history and Cameron’s theory that places absorb human suffering. Jamie refuses to join the other kids, choosing to stay hidden and cautious.

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  22. Chapter 17

    Chapter 17 · Desert Solitude

    Jamie feels trapped by Port Barren’s suspicion and Butcher’s presence. Archie tells him about “wanderers” and “lost ones”, suggesting the land holds unresolved pain. Jamie enters the desert, meets a goanna, and finally feels at ease before falling asleep.

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  23. Chapter 18

    Chapter 18 · The Girl in the Boat

    Jamie wakes in the desert at night and struggles through the spinifex towards Port Barren. Near the school, he sees Butcher set the building alight and escapes before townspeople arrive. Just as he reaches Archie’s street, a spotlight “traps him” in its glare.

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  24. Flaherty's Curse
  25. Chapter 19

    Chapter 19 · Butcher's Capture

    Jamie is caught by Butcher after the school fire. He is beaten, restrained and taken to Flaherety’s Curse, where the corrupt officer chains him to a pole in an abandoned mine office. Butcher threatens Jamie, controls Lorraine, and leaves him trapped in the “middle of nowhere.”

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  26. Chapter 20

    Chapter 20 · The Abandoned Hut

    Handcuffed in an abandoned desert hut, Jamie battles panic, thirst and extreme heat. The girl’s voice helps him understand her suffering, while dreams of Eddie and Archie’s story make him question whether he is “a wanderer, or a lost one”. Desperate to escape, he injures himself before hearing anl

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  27. Chapter 21

    Chapter 21 · Cameron's Rescue

    Cameron reaches the abandoned hut and finds Jamie weak, thirsty and chained to a pole. He gives him water and says “Hang on” before cutting through the chain. When Butcher arrives, the boys hide as he searches the site, steals their car keys and blocks their escape.

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  28. Chapter 22

    Chapter 22 · Breaking Free

    Cameron and Jamie reach the hut with water and survival gear. While Jamie cuts through his handcuffs, Cameron explains how Robb’s clues and Lorraine’s reaction led him to Flaherety’s Curse. They plan to cross the desert together, despite the danger ahead.

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  29. Chapter 23

    Chapter 23 · The Land Rover

    Jamie and Cameron plan to cross the desert at night, conserving water and preparing a harness for the heavy jerry can. Jamie feels an unusual connection to the land, but his peaceful morning ends when he discovers a human skull beneath a pile of rags.

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  30. Chapter 24

    Chapter 24 · The Mining Company Clue

    Jamie and Cameron identify the skeleton in the hut through the “GNMC” blanket, linking her to the mining company’s nursing station. Jamie argues they must carry her remains as evidence against Butcher, while Cameron worries about the danger and extra weight.

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  31. Desert
  32. Chapter 25

    Chapter 25 · Into the Desert

    Jamie and Cameron leave Flaherety’s Curse at sunset, carrying the girl’s remains and following a rock pinnacle through the night. Their journey becomes exhausting and uncertain when the water container splits, leaving them with little water and “no hope either” beneath some weak shade.

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  33. Chapter 26

    Chapter 26 · The Desert Heat

    Jamie and Cameron struggle through the blazing desert, rationing water and resting beside exposed rocks. After a frightening dream and growing confusion, Jamie notices they are heading deeper into the wilderness. Cameron trusts his instinct, and they turn towards the sunset.

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  34. Chapter 27

    Chapter 27 · Running Out of Water

    With their water gone, Jamie and Cameron face a deadly final day in the desert. They discover a deep gorge, make a dangerous climb down, and find a creek beneath the trees. Relief replaces fear as they drink, rest, and enjoy a playful moment together.

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  35. Chapter 28

    Chapter 28 · The Watercourse

    After resting beside the watercourse, Jamie and Cameron travel through the gorge, share stories about their lives, and discover a beautiful pool. Their relief turns to tension when hikers arrive, recognise them as the missing boys, and offer food while asking, “How on earth” they got there.

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  36. Chapter 29

    Chapter 29 · The Journey Home

    Robert and Susan drive Jamie and Cameron back towards Port Barren, where Jamie chooses Archie’s home instead of the police. He returns carrying an “old friend” of Butcher’s, faces Lorraine’s fear, greets Archie, and collapses into troubled sleep.

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  37. Chapter 30

    Chapter 30 · The Warning Call

    At dawn, Cameron warns Jamie that Butcher is coming to arrest him, so Jamie escapes with the girl’s remains. Hiding in Lorraine’s office, he overhears Butcher threatening her. Lorraine admits she was too frightened to report him and urges Jamie to “Be careful”.

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  38. Chapter 31

    Chapter 31 · Return to the Boat

    Jamie returns to the old boat carrying evidence against Butcher, but a storm and the police truck trap him inside. Butcher pours petrol around the wreck and sets it alight. Jamie finds a ladder, escapes the flames, and faces Butcher’s gun as a shot rings out.

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  39. Chapter 32

    Chapter 32 · The Confrontation

    Jamie survives Butcher’s attack when Constable Robb shoots him in the shoulder. Cameron, Archie and Robb help Jamie, while Butcher is arrested and taken away. As the burning boat collapses, the first rain falls, bringing a quiet sense of release after the danger.

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  40. Chapter 33

    Chapter 33 · Telling the Story

    Jamie tells Detectives Swan and Mueller what happened, while hiding some truths about his journey and Lorraine’s control. They reveal Lorraine’s missing car and investigate Butcher. Later, Robb gives Jamie a lift home, where Archie calls him “a local”.

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  41. Epilogue: A New Kind of Dreaming
  42. Chapter 34

    Chapter 34 · Epilogue

    After the wet season, Jamie and Cameron return to the pool to give the girl a peaceful resting place. Jamie releases her bone into the green water, and the boys feel her burden lift as they believe she is finally “dreaming” in peace.

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