Flat Water Tuesday

“All you ever wanted to know about the world of competitive rowing is contained in the pages of Ron Irwin’s new novel.” —J. M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize–winning author The son of a working-class cabinet maker, Rob Carrey arrives on the prestigious Fenton School’s campus with a scholarship to row . . . and a chip on his shoulder. Generations of austere Fenton men have led the four-man rowing team, commonly known as the God Four, to countless victories—but none more important or renowned than the annual Tuesday afternoon race in April against their rival boarding school, Warwick. Before boats can be launched, Rob must complete months of grueling preparation driven by their captain Connor Payne’s vicious competitive nature. Payne is a young man so plagued by family pressure and unwillingness to lose that the lines between dedication and obsession are increasingly blurred. As the Warwick race nears, the stakes steadfastly rise, and tempers and lusts culminate until, finally, no one can prevent the horrible tragedy that ensues. Now, fifteen years later, Rob is an accomplished documentary filmmaker. Returning home from a recent shoot in Africa, he arrives in New York City to clear out his shared apartment and end his heartbreaking relationship with his film editor and girlfriend, Carolyn. But when a phone call from one of the God Four compels him to attend the fifteen-year reunion at Fenton, Rob sees the invitation as an opportunity to confront the past and perhaps even steer his own life in a new direction. “Propulsive, heart-stopping . . . a world-class champion of a novel.” —Amber Dermont, New York Times–bestselling author