Swimming for England

Name: Swimming for England
Price: 32.95 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781917352123

Martin Goodman

$32.95

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Barbican Press
09 September 2026

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Crime & Mystery

A darkly satirical literarythriller that will captivate readers of transgressive fiction and socialcritique.

When Faisal emerges from the English Channel after his record-breaking swim from France, Brian and Eileen Pratchett expectgratitude-after all, they rescued him from the refugee pool, fed him, trainedhim, transformed him. But Cameron, a young Scottish drifter, has come searchingfor his brother Malcolm, one of the Pratchetts' earlier 'projects.' Malcolm wasgoing to be a tennis champion. Instead, he disappeared.

As Cameron's questions growmore pointed and Faisal's gratitude turns ambiguous, the Pratchetts' carefullymaintained facade begins to crack. Behind their respectable seafront home withits immaculate rose garden lies a darker story-one of control, obsession, andthe terrible price of failing to meet expectations.

Swimming for England is amasterful psychological portrait that operates simultaneously as thriller,social satire, and searing indictment. Goodman's prose is both beautiful andbrutal, his imagery visceral, his characters rendered with uncomfortable intimacy.

This is fiction that disturbs, provokes, and lingers-perfect for book clubsseeking compact, challenging material and readers who appreciate the intersection ofliterary ambition and page-turning suspense.

By: Martin Goodman
Imprint: Barbican Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 127mm,
ISBN: 9781917352123
ISBN 10: 1917352123
Pages: 100
Publication Date: 09 September 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Martin Goodman set out to be a writer at the age of twelve, and has stuck with it. Born in Leicester, he started travelling the world at the age of ten. His award winning fiction, nonfiction and plays explore the aftermath of war, shamanism, ecological crises, gay sexuality, the inner life of musicians, digital identity, and the voices of nature. He is emeritus professor at the University of Hull, and lives between London, Suffolk and France.