Synopsis

On a road trip to Flat Water, the home he fled years before, Monty Marinnis must confront the complex and painful loss that drove him away and now demands his return: family. Called back to California for his sister’s wedding, Monty’s journey from the Midwest to the California Coast is also a journey through memory, one complicated by the presence of his adoring, but increasingly frustrated wife Charlotte, from whom Monty has concealed the horrifying details of his family’s fracture and how he remains haunted by what he witnessed as a teenager.

The Marinnis family lost their eldest son in a shocking attack while Monty watched, helpless. Since that day, he has been obsessed with finding an answer to a question that has none: Why do bad things happen to some people but not others? Why were they selected to suffer? Monty will be confronted by brutal truths that rise like sharks from the depths.

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Praise

“Jeremy Broyles’s Flat Water is a sensorial and emotionally rich exploration of guilt, shame, the burden of secrets, and the possibility of redemption.” -Jenny Irish, author of I Am Faithful

“Flat Water is an honest and empathetic depiction of grief. Propelled by the energy of Broyles’ wit and sparkling prose, Monty’s story, like the waves he used to chase, is equal parts surprising and inevitable, brilliant and heartbreaking.” -Meagan Lucas, author of Songbirds and Stray Dogs

“Jeremy Broyles’ Flat Water will rock you in oceanic waves, both literal and emotional. Flat Water gives us a clear-eyed look at what it means to suffer great pain, to navigate the murky waters of self-blame, and, ultimately, to find the possibility of self-forgiveness in grief’s wake.” -Ann Cummins, author of Red Ant House and Yellowcake

Review

This introspective novel follows Monty’s life from when he was a young boy to now. Monty has a strange perception at times and sees sharks in people. Is that a reflection of who that person is, or is it unresolved feelings about the death of his brother from a shark attack? His brother’s death tore the family apart, and Monty made sure he moved as far away from the water as he could so that he would not have to deal with the painful memories associated with that time in his life. This is classic avoidance, and it is a shame that no one thought to get him counseling so that he could accept that this was a fluke occurrence and it isn’t one that happens all the time.

The book has no chapters, which is my biggest complaint about the book. It is hard to find a decent stopping place, and this was not a book that I wanted to try and finish in one sitting. At least there were some page breaks that made halfway decent stopping places. The book does flashback in time, giving us an insight into Monty’s life as a teen with his family and how this impacted his future.

Monty was not likable in my mind. He wasn’t evil, but he had a lot of baggage that he was carrying around and not resolving. His wife, Charlotte, is a character, and she puts up with a lot from him. It is because he never told her about his past or his family. He never even told her that his legal name was something other than Monty. I can see why this could cause issues in their relationship.

This book is intriguing, and it gives the reader a lot to think about. We give this book 3 1/2 paws up.

About the Author

Jeremy Broyles is an Arizona native, originally from the Cottonwood-Jerome-Sedona high desert. He is a professor with nearly twenty years of experience teaching in higher education, and he currently serves as the creative writing program director at Mesa Community College, where he has taught since 2017. His stories have appeared in The MacGuffin, Santa Clara Review, Pigeon Review, Pembroke Magazine, Suburbia Journal, and Reckon Review, amongst many others. His novella, What Becomes of Ours, was published in 2014 by ELJ Publications. He is an aging rider of bicycles, a talentless surfer of waves, and a happily mediocre player of guitars.

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