Josie is afraid that her record-breaking swim in the 200-metre butterfly at the Alberta provincial championship was a fluke. As her Calgary swim team trains for a big meet she can’t come anywhere near her best time, and sees her dreams of national and Olympic glory slipping away.
Laurel is terrified of water; Mama is a former swimming champion who abandoned her Olympic aspirations for the safety of marriage. When Laurel must learn to swim, she convinces Mama to give her lessons, tentatively beginning an extraordinary friendship. The two slowly reveal the secrets of their lives: Laurel cannot seem to tell her boyfriend about her phobia of water, or the tragedy that triggered it; Mama in turn shares her fears of having children, a powerful… More >>
» Read more: Swimming Lessons: A Novel
» Read more: Janet Evans’ Total Swimming