Peter Drouyn's career was defined by injustice. If we're to distill a person's existence, search for a pattern that repeats, and then project it back onto a life-sized canvas, then there's our fountainhead.

Let's scan Drouyn's history for examples: In '65 he was assaulted by rivals on his first interstate trip; in '69 he was robbed by judges in the Aussie Juniors; the audience ignored his '72 bio-pic; and all throughout his career he was shunned by his peers.

Yeah, there was the odd success, man-on-man surfing being the most notable. Yet even that achievement couldn't defy the old pattern; despite inventing the concept and running the successful '77 Stubbies, Drouyn wasn't asked back in '78. Instead Stubbies chose Bill Bolman to run that comp and left Drouyn by the wayside. Yet another injustice.

Those of a stoic nature might take these blows on the chin, describe them as character building. But stoicism isn't something Peter Drouyn could ever be accused of – the flamboyant and emotional Drouyn keeping a stiff upper lip? The idea is comedic – yet one could take the literal view that from these injustices a new character was built.

There's an assumption in the above passage: that Westerly Windina is a construct. A creation borne from Peter Drouyn's past experiences. It's not an assumption that Jamie Brisick, author of the recently published Becoming Westerly would necessarily share. After spending two years in almost constant contact with Westerly Windina I imagine he'd find the theory too constricting.

When I first heard about the transformation of Peter Drouyn I wanted to understand the reasons why, and I don't think I was alone in my curiousity. It may be uncool to inquire, live and let live seems the best response, but given the details - eccentric surf champ to gender re-assigned showgirl – it's impossible to remain indifferent. People are always gonna ask questions.

And so we have Becoming Westerly, full title The Transformation of Surfing Champion Peter Drouyn into Westerly Windina. It's an entertaining old book. Think of the “film inside a film” idea - Frederico Fellini's 8½, Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation - then place a film inside a book. So rather than simply describing the story of Peter Drouyn/Westerly Windina, the narrative hangs upon Brisick and colleagues making a documentary on Westerly Windina. At times Becoming Westerly feels like an extra feature on a DVD, the off camera machinations as entertaining and illuminating as those that happen when the tape is rolling.

Brisick is an ideal teller of Drouyn/Windina's story. Once part of the pro surfing milieu he understands its pitfalls and rewards better than most:

"For a long while I patted myself on the back for being intellectually curious, for throwing myself into new cultures...But well into my thirties I started to think about the flipside. What was I running from? Why couldn't I stay in one place and be happy? Why did I feel so rootless? The same way decades-long substance abuse can rewire your chemistry, render you dissatisfied with everyday joys, so can too much of this wave- and adventure-chasing. You find yourself forever on the outside of things. You know you've always got a ticket out.

This seemed to be the plight of Miki Dora, in the very literal sense. And though there's much more to it, this no doubt contributed to the saga of Peter Drouyn/ Westerly Windina."

Clearly there's no pretence of objectivity in Becoming Westerly, Brisick places himself well inside the story yet at a far enough remove – just – for the reader to trust his observations. He both sympathises and criticises Windina, and at times the documentary appears in doubt as Windina makes expensive demands or imposes her impetuous creative will on the team. A Lost in La Mancha scenario looms.

I've no idea if the documentary will be made, last year Brisick told me it was due in Spring 2014, now it's due Autumn 2015, and after reading Becoming Westerly I've no definitive answer why Peter Drouyn became Westerly Windina. But there's a saying among scientists that science isn't the search for answers but the search for better questions. In that way we keep learning about a subject but it is never fully known. Jamie Brisick appears propelled by the same desire for nuance. His research is forensic, insights profound, and conclusions are for the reader to draw.

Becoming Westerly is published by Allen & Unwin.