Float Plan

by Rob Hiaasen

When life throws you overboard, learn to float.

Will Larkin teaches algebra and has been married 2.92 years (he never rounds off). He has no children, two friends and one dog. His life is perfectly routine until he loses his wife, job, dog, boat and even his freedom all in one spectacularly hard year.

He also didn't plan on falling in love with vet tech named Parker Cool.

Float Plan is a contemporary novel featuring a chainsaw attack on a gazebo, a basset hound named Dean and a life-saving mozzarella stick. At its quirky, serious heart, the story is about what happens to a young man who steers himself toward love, forgiveness and happiness. Or close enough.

Float Plan is also a love letter to Annapolis and Baltimore - and to fathers and mothers, old friends, dogs, boats and second chances.

Genres: Fiction

209 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2018

About the author

A native of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Hiaasen lived in Maryland for almost 25 years, where he wrote for The Baltimore Sun for much of that time. More recently he was an award-winning columnist and editor at The Capital in Annapolis. His published fiction is a short story in the mystery anthology, Baltimore Noir (Akashic Press), and novel Float Plan (Apprentice House Press), published posthumously in September 2018. Hiaasen's journalism has also appeared in The Washington Post Sunday Magazine and The Los Angeles Times.

Reviews

[Edie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read Hiaasen' s newspaper columns for years and requested that his posthumous book be purchased by my library. Although there are some errors in the editing I found it to be a charmer. The characters are real, funny, sad and caring all at once. They could be your next door neighbors.

[Valerie Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a native (SE) Floridian living in Annapolis I used to scour every weekend edition of The Capital for Rob Hiaasen’s column in hopes of a nod to Florida and a good chuckle. He was my favorite columnist for the paper. His death in The Capital’s tragedy gutted me. How grateful I was to learn his wife had published his novel posthumously. Though the tome needs a good edit (typos, etc) (remaining true to his last typed version?) it didn’t distract from the quirky and delightful tale of a man finding his way and the resulting love story as reward despite some stumbles. I found myself wishing I could talk with the author’s widow. The story felt deeply personal, as if lots of Rob and Maria’s own story might be tucked in here and there. True confession — I heard Maria Hiassen speak at the Key School Book Fair but arrived as her presentation was concluding so didn’t get to hear whether or not he did insert personal bits. Regardless, what a fun read. It was fantastic to read a tale with local Annapolis references with just a sprinkle of Florida. It made me miss his writing all the more. I finished the book while flying home to WPB/Fl to visit family leaving me resolved to keep close those I love and protect the places I love.

[Allison Sauntry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved reading this book. Rob was my editor at The Capital newspaper and was one of the victims in the June 28 mass shooting there. When I heard his wife was working to get the novel he’d worked on for years published, I couldn’t wait to read it! So much of Rob’s voice and personality came through here. I only wish he were alive to see the book published.

[Teri Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

Float Plan is filled with flawed characters navigating their way through marriage, friendship, dogship, heartache, declining health, parenthood, and forgiveness, and it is 100% up my alley.

I loved this book. There are so many lines in it that made me laugh out loud. And also a good handful of character choices that made me cringe. From gazebos taken down by chainsaws to purchasing a sloth, the characters said and did plenty that I’d never dream of doing, but I was so involved in the story, I thought, “But what else would they do?” Rob Hiaasen made every character utterly believable, and he made them matter to me. I was rooting for them even while I was shaking my head, laughing, and slapping my forehead.

From a craft standpoint, it’s worth sharing that Float Plan is written from the omniscient point of view. I think this is one of the hardest point of views (I always want to say ‘points of view’ but the former is correct–I think) to write well (Celeste Ng does it very well in Everything I Never Told You). With omniscient, the narrator knows every thought of every character at every given point in time. It can cause confusion, like head hopping; whose thought was that? But Rob Hiaasen writes the O-POV well. His characters are so clear, their thoughts match them perfectly.

Float Plan is also a tribute to Annapolis, Maryland, and a portion of the proceeds of this novel are being donated by his wife and publisher to Everytown for Gun Safety, because in a bittersweet twist of events, Rob Hiaasen, who spent ten years writing this novel, was a student of human behavior, and had a natural curiosity about why people make the bad choices they make, was killed in the mass shooting at Capital Gazette in June 2018. I didn’t know him and would like to think his last moments were filled with love for his family and his inherent writer’s curiosity: now, why is this person making this horrible choice?

Thanks, Rob Hiaasen, for being you.

I am so honored and humbled that my novel, Tiger Drive, is being considered a finalist by IBPA along with Rob’s Float Plan for the Benjamin Franklin Award in Popular Ficiton. Now, I’m off to read finalist Cathy Zane’s Better Than This and Dave Edlund’s Guarding Savage. I’ll be sharing my reviews soon.

Thanks for joining me today and mostly, thanks for being you. Let me know what you’re reading!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought a bittersweet smile!
As a long ago former employee of the Capital Gazette newspapers, and a neighbor of 888 Bestgate Road, I was drawn to read this book by Rob Hiaasen. The gruesome news of what happened two blocks from me, and knowing how many people were affected by this tragedy around the nation as the press ensured we knew just who these victims were, I knew I wanted to learn more about this writer's style.

This book was fun, at times made me laugh, at other times it was sad. The book takes place of course in my hometown of Annapolis and is always fun to read a story and imagine being there because it is so familiar. The book is a quick read but does show just what a good sense of humor and sense of family dynamics the writer brought to it. I am sad however, there will not be more, from a life gone too soon.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good fun story. I probably enjoyed it more because I live in the area. The editing needs some work but it really doesn't detract from the story. Nice light read.

[Cindy Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet odd book about two sweet odd people in a sweet odd relationship. I enjoyed the book a lot but I couldn't stop thinking about the senseless tragedy that will keep us from hearing more from this author.

If you don't know, last year a maniac who went to my high school walked into the office of my local newspaper and shot and killed five people, including Rob Hiaasen. I didn't know Rob or any of the other people who were killed, but I have still taken this tragedy very personally.

A few years ago my brother and I were discussing gun control. We took sides quickly. I said I was for gun control and he said he was against it and we glowered at each other. Fortunately then we started talking. He said he thought there should be strict requirements for gun ownership and I agreed. He said it is crazy that it is easier to get a license to own a gun than to drive a car and I agreed. Long story short, after declaring ourselves on opposite sides of the issue, when we took it apart we agreed on almost everything. I beg our elected officials to have similar discussions and DO SOMETHING to reduce gun violence.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I tried a few times to write a concise but accurate description of why I liked this book, my words sounded weak. Knowing that this novel was a story this author had been working on for many years and then published posthumously made me forgiving but also full of wonder. Rob's main character, Will, and all the other characters, must have always been like close friends to Rob.

It turns out that Rob's brother, author, Carl Hiaasen, was able to put into words the best reasons I liked Float Plan:
"This novel keeps alive not only the memory of my brother, but the vitality of his huge talent. I can hear his voice on every page...his quiet and sneaky wit, his wide-armed embrace of life's wobbliest characters, and his heartfelt fascination with why good people make the wildly improbable choices they do."

Also, I recommend this book to my husband because I think he will 'get it' even better than I could.

[Lrs68 Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rob's book was a little hard to get into for me. He jumped around a bit, so was hard to get used to his writing style. Like he would be joking but I didn't know it til a few sentences later. Such a sad loss for his Capital friends. I still get the paper. Going forward...sometimes he would go on about details and would lose my interest in the process. Think my husband would like it. It was about a young man's life in Annapolis, going from teacher to almost homeless, to marriage and having a step child; and how he realized who he was closest to after a very hard year. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad - makes me think how our secret criticisms of ourselves are valuable to our happiness, and how accepting others love makes it all better.

[Krista Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light, fun romance with some darkness on the side. Girl sails alone because it was dead-by-suicide-boyfriend's plan. Hires guy to assist sailing. They have sex then decide they really do like each other.

I loved the heartfelt people they meet while sailing. I enjoyed the adventure.

Great writer with the exception of a few awkward passages. Probably don't want to read another by this one; the casual sex reduced the enjoyment of reading for me because it's just not my thing.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming story of a youngish man trying to find his way in life. It felt alive and real every step of the way, and I felt inspired at the end. Will is a tremendously likable character, and it just makes it sadder that the author was taken too soon in an act of crazy violence. I’m so glad his family saw to it that this book was published.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book chosen by our newly formed book club. Written by one of the victims of the Annapolis Capital Gazette shooting last year and posthumously published by his family. Reading it was bittersweet. It is a shame that Rob didn't realize he had such a gift for fiction. He could have blessed us with so many more stories.

[Lisa Rzepka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised

Living in Annapolis in the year following the Capital Gazette tragedy has introduced me posthumously to the victims of preventable gun violence. I purchased the book because funds are being donated to Everytown for Gun Safety. A wonderful byproduct was that the book was great.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book literally had me laughing out loud with tears rolling down my face. Loved the type of humor. Characters were very well developed. I loved reading a book about my town of Annapolis. Definitely recommend

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good light read- I enjoyed the characters!

[Max de Freitas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realistic and amusing. One cannot ask for much more.