A Mountain to Climb on Timor is a witty and entertaining account of a wayward teenager coming of age in Britain during the 1960s and 1970s and trying to transform his behaviour in a bid to gain respectibility and self esteem. Michael Earle's journey begins when the chance discovery of geology inspires purpose and ambition at school, but he denies the need to curtail social activities and romantic endeavours to work hard, and fails to win a place at university.The outcome is a year of manual labour and the low point of his life. Determined, he does not abandon hope and succeeds at the third attempt. The climax of the story is a life-changing adventure among the indigenous Atoni on Timor Island, Indonesia, a hazardous experience full of emotional torment and physical challenges that push Earle to the limit. And he must race against time to make a geological map before the monsoon rains turn dry rivers into impassable torrents. On the return voyage, Earle faces a menacing crisis when he falls overboard into the shark-infested Timor Sea during a violent storm. As twilight approaches he is disorientated, tiring fast and wondering which direction to swim.