Water under the bridge
Written by Simon Murch
About the book -
Four men, old enough to know better, return to the river after twenty five years in a final attempt
to win a precious Henley medal. Their interactions had been complex. Now they’ve got kids.
Peter Morley, the former stroke of the four, is jolted from middle-
announcement that Henley Royal Regatta is to hold a competition for veteran fours. Probably
the biggest regret of his life is that he and his university crew narrowly failed to win a Henley
medal in the 80's. The Morley household, especially his dysfunctional teenage son Vizzy, is
transformed by his quest and reunion with his former closest friends.
There is water under the bridge. Morley gets to learn more about his wife Helen’s past than is comfortable. His crewmate Dave Hewitson (Shagger) had certainly lived up to his nickname. Dave had brought their early ventures to a premature and traumatic end by sleeping with Margaux, then the girlfriend of their crewmate Heidar Kjartansson. The love story between Heidar and Margaux is the emotional core of the book. Heidar ends up as a central figure in Vizzy’s life, and he and Margaux a pivotal influence on the children of the other three oarsmen. Heidar’s religion, Ásatrú, an Icelandic worship of the Norse Gods, is a source of some conflict for Margaux’s Catholicism, but an inspiration to Vizzy.
Having reformed, the crew suffer hardships, sinkings and dirty dealings on their way to their second Henley final as rank outsiders. The outcome, both heroic and tragic, forces Vizzy into actions that could not have been foreseen. The result of this is an unexpected but uplifting finale.
© Simon Murch 2009