FLAT WATER TUESDAY

354pp., paperback, New York, 2013

Coming-of-age novel. Rob Carrey attends his boarding school reunion and begins a painful journey into his past.

“All you ever wanted to know about the world of competitive rowing is contained in the pages of Ron Irwin's new novel, whose hero is not only a prodigious oarsman but the lover of two memorably realized women.” J.M. Coetzee, Nobel Laureate

“A gripping read. If you've ever marveled at the fluidity of a quadruple scull cutting through water in first light, and wondered what makes its 4-man motor work, this book will provide the answers, and then some. Irwin is adept at revealing the tricky bonds between rowers, and the way those bonds can shape - and misshape - a life.” Tom McNeal, author of To Be Sung Underwater

Ron Irwin was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and attended boarding school and college in New England, where he was a member of several winning rowing crews.  Since 1999 he has taught in the Centre for Film and Media at the University of Cape Town. Flat Water Tuesday is his debut novel.