Longlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the
Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2021
The outcast in a family of former competitive swimmers must prepare
for the end of her mother's life in this sharp, sparkling debut from a
bold New Zealand talent.
'Tackles the subject of assisted dying with wit and pathos' The
Independent
'Darkly funny, desperately sad, brilliantly written. I absolutely loved
it' Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground
When an affair ends badly and takes her career down with it, 26-year-old
Erin leaves Auckland to spend the holiday weekend with her aunt, uncle,
and terminally ill mother at their suburban family home. On arrival she
learns that her mother has decided to take matters into her own hands
and end her life - the following Tuesday.
Tasked with fulfilling her mother's final wishes, Erin can only do her
imperfect best to navigate difficult feelings, an eccentric
neighbourhood, and her complicated family of former competitive
swimmers. She must summon the strength she would normally find in the
water as she prepares for the loss of the fiery, independent woman who
raised her alone, and one last swim together in the cold New Zealand
Sea.
