Here is a debut not to be missed - a ferocious, unusual, funny, exuberantly alive new voice in fiction, with a dark edge that's reminiscent of Lionel Shriver. For Pip, swimming is a necessity. With a hopeless mother, a drug- addled sister and a best friend more interested in her own love-life than in friendship, swimming provides a welcome escape. But as Olympic stardom beckons, Pip must decide whether her future lies in the water or on land. SWIMMING is a novel about growing up, about talent, and about having what it takes to survive.