Going Fast

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.

AUTHOR

Elaine McCluskey

Elaine McCluskey is the author of a short story collection, The Watermelon Social, and a boxing novel, Going Fast. A Journey Prize finalist, her award-winning stories have appeared in many of Canada’s leading literary journals. A former bureau chief for The Canadian Press, she worked as a journalist before turning to fiction. She teaches journalism part-time and works as a writing coach. She lives in Dartmouth, N.S.

Reviews

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. Turmoil Davies, an enigmatic Trinidadian heavyweight, is poised to storm the boxing scene. Ownie Flanagan, an old-school trainer, trains men with more ambition than talent. He’s looking for “one real fighter” before he retires and believes Turmoil is it. Scott MacDonald, a journalist assigned to the boxing beat, tries to 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.

“A linguistic tour de force. Elaine McCluskey’s probing eye for detail is as relentless as a welterweight.”
“Going Fast is tender and tough-minded, compassionate and dark, well-written and frequently hilarious. Elaine McCluskey has written a stunning debut novel.”
“On one level, Going Fast is about misfits and misadventures in the worlds of boxing and newspapers. But on another and more satisfying level it’s an elegy for ways of life that are, in the words of the title, going fast.”
– The Canadian Press

“Her gift as a writer is the ability to take the familiar, the tragic and the sometimes mundane and, through keen, insightful and often comedic observation and interpretation, raise it to the level of poetic art.”
– The Canadian Press

“Athletes, parents, teachers, and coaches — in fact, anyone who enjoys or would like to learn more about competitive sport — will gain insight into what defines quitters, losers, survivors, and ‘stars’ with the winning edge.”
– The Daily Gleaner