Going Fast

by Elaine McCluskey

In this punchy, uproarious romp of a novel, the Halifax boxing world — peopled with has-beens, wannabes, and posers dressed in spandex, leopard prints, and tie dye — touches gloves with the colourful world of sports reporting. Both groups need something hot with speedy delivery. Enter a cast of misfits. There's Turmoil Davies, an enigmatic Trinidadian heavyweight poised to storm the Halifax boxing world. There's Ownie Flanagan, an old-school trainer who scans the obituaries for odd names and trains men with more ambition than talent. He's looking for "one real fighter" before he retires and believes Turmoil is it. And then there's Scott MacDonald, a journalist assigned to the boxing beat — a grotty but welcome getaway that promises to let him relive his own glory days through other men's sweat. With a wicked sense of humour, Elaine McCluskey conjures a larger-than-life world where spotty turf is defended with klutzy bravado down to the final, unpredictable ten-count.

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Elaine McCluskey’s stories have appeared in The Antigonish Review, Gaspereau Review and Pottersfield Portfolio. The title story in her debut collection The Watermelon Social (GP, 2006) was shortlisted for the 2004 Journey Prize. A former Bureau Chief for the Canadian Press news agency, McCluskey lives with her family in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the characterizations, the sense of place, and the humour. And the boxing.

[Peter B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big black fighter shows up at the gym where an old, but talented trainer is assigned to work with him. The trainer, Ownie, sees him as being his ticket to putting himself in the history books and does a good job with him until Turmoil decides to leave for the states. Full of interesting and quirky characters, this novel shows that McCluskey knows a lot about boxing, the newspaper industry (in which she worked) rowing, and a whole lot about human nature.

[Nicole]

cbcreads 2010 book

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. My interest was accentuated by a visit from the author McCluskey to Springhill Library. Anyone who is interested in boxing as a sport or a hobby and who is from the Maritimes will enjoy this book. Aside from some very humorous incidents, the book shows the author's brilliant powers of observation and it is the details which brings the book to life. The dialogue is awesome, and I thoroughly recommend this book.