Secrets of a River Swimmer by SS Turner

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If I’d never heard of me would I read my book?

If I’d never heard of me, I would definitely read Secrets of a River Swimmer! My favorite types of books are both entertaining and full of learning, so I’m always on the lookout for inspirational novels centered around fun stories. My challenge is finding novels like this amidst a sea of sameness. For me, when I read a book’s blurb I’m on the lookout for a story which piques my interest and indicates there’s depth to the story. In my experience, it’s rare to find murder mystery novels or the like with real depth so I tend to avoid novels which follow these well-worn footpaths. I often read novel endorsement quotes and reviews to get a feeling for what a book is about. If a book receives a glowing endorsement from a well-known author I’m often more interested.

Secrets of a River Swimmer ticks the boxes of what I look for in a novel (he says modestly:). The novel’s story is a journey from the depths of despair towards something better. As a story, this is immediately of interest to me as I’m always attracted to journey stories. I think it emanates from my love for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which is my favorite novel of all time. And my novel’s beautiful endorsement quote by Heather Morris (thank you again Heather!) would suggest to me as a reader that the novel has depth since it addresses the question many of us are asking: how to live a meaningful life. So all up, I’m confident I’d select my novel from a long shelf of options.

As Freddy gazes at the majestic river gushing past him in the depths of a Scottish winter, he's ready to jump in and end his life. But what happens next is not what Freddy expects. From the moment he enters the river, Freddy starts a journey which is more beautiful, funny, and mysterious than he could have imagined. And through this journey Freddy's story becomes interweaved with a cast of unforgettable characters who are equally lost and in search of answers. Eventually they all unite in their quest for an answer to the biggest question of them all: will the river take them where they want to go?

In the tradition of inspirational works of fiction like The Alchemist and Life of Pi, Secrets of a River Swimmer is at once a profound exploration into living with meaning and an affecting story of people on the cusp of change.

Enjoy an Excerpt

I dip my toe in.

It’s f****** freezing.

I sit and watch the majestically sinister Scottish river hurtle along below me. I’m not sure whether to be in awe or terrified, but that was always going to be the case today, my last day. The idea of jumping into the river reminds me of the feeling you experience when you arrive at the beach, and you’re thinking about jumping into the sea, but you know it’s going to cause you grievous bodily harm from your nether regions up. For some reason, your legs are the one part of your body which can handle intense cold without too much stress. But all body parts above your legs are a whole different story. My voice just rose an octave, and I’m not even talking.

So you sit and watch the sea while contemplating your next move, as if this thinking time will give you the required mental strength to leap into the cold blue water. However, this thinking time just gives the water an opportunity to look you in the eye with laughing menace, because the water knows the questions you are grappling with deep in your soul. The water understands it is strong and you are weak—the eternal power imbalance at play.

The waiting period only makes it worse, of course. All it does is allow you to hand more mental power over to the cold water than a short and simple jumping-in maneuver would have done. Why do we employ such counter-productive strategies in our lives?

About the Author

S.S. Turner has been an avid reader, writer, and explorer of the natural world throughout his life which has been spent in England, Scotland and Australia. Just like Freddy in his first novel, Secrets of a River Swimmer, he worked in the global fund management sector for many years but realized it didn't align with his values. In recent years, he's been focused on inspiring positive change through his writing as well as trying not to laugh in unfortunate situations. He now lives in Australia with his wife, daughter, two dogs, two cats, and ten chickens.

The Story Plant

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