LOOKING THROUGH WATER:
A Novel
By Bob Rich
“A loving and thoughtful grandparent can change a child’s life,” author Bob Rich says in the introduction to his debut novel,
LOOKING THROUGH WATER (Skyhorse Publishing, November 3, 2015).
From all outward appearances, William McKay doesn’t seem to be that
grandparent; yet, when he navigates his difficult past and chooses
vulnerability over vanity, he proves to be a life-changing
force for both his grandson and himself.
When
secrets, lies and a stiff upper lip are your legacy, tossing them aside
to save a family member is no simple feat. But William McKay does just
that when confronted with his surly and drifting grandson, spurred by
his own grandfather’s love that warmed the frigid spot left by his
absent father.
LOOKING THROUGH WATER is a sage work of fiction that combines an emotionally harrowing coming-of-age tale with generational wisdom.
Teenage grandson Kyle
McKay isn’t interested in much of anything, least of all the ramblings
of an old man, despite his childhood affection for his grandfather as a
fishing partner. But it is their time on the
lake together that breaks through the soul-killing stillness that has
frozen this multi-generational family.
The elder William
breaches his own emotional dams and spills his riveting tale that takes
him from the Adirondacks to the Florida Keys, but always returns him to
the peacefulness and turmoil of water. William’s
life is ruffled with truth and lies, loyalty and betrayal, triumphs and
tragedies and, although difficult to revisit, the grandfather shows his
grandson (and himself) that while life isn’t smooth, the journey is
exquisite.
BOB RICH
fell in love with storytelling at summer camps in Northern Ontario. As
he traveled from the shores of Lake Erie to the Florida
Keys, he was inspired to write by one of literature’s greatest
storytellers, Ernest Hemingway. Now, after producing three books –
Fish Fights, The Fishing Club and The Right Angle – and coauthoring a fourth,
Secrets of the Delphi Café, Rich’s first novel aims to portray the incredible transformations that can take place on the water while waiting for a fish.
LOOKING THROUGH WATER
A NOVEL
By Bob Rich
Skyhorse Publishing: November 3, 2015
$24.99 US: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-5107-0314-8
AUTHOR BOB RICH HELPS HEAL VETERANS BY PARTNERING WITH PROJECT HEALING WATERS
A
day on the open water with a fishing pole can do wonders for the mind
and body and, for veterans coping with physical and emotional traumas,
they can be healing waters. Fisherman and businessman Bob Rich knows
well the transformative power of fishing and has partnered with
PROJECT HEALING WATERS FLY FISHING, INC. to help reach disabled
veterans and disabled active duty military men and women in all 50
states. He is donating the proceeds from his new novel,
LOOKING THROUGH WATER, to the organization to support veterans on their journey to physical, emotional and spiritual health.
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. (PHWFF) is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active
military service personnel and veterans. PHWFF is unique in that volunteers are teaching classes on an on-going, long term
basis. It is much more than a one day fishing trip. Program
activities include fly fishing instruction, fly tying classes, fly
casting workshops, rod building and fly fishing outings. Each program is
managed at the local level by volunteers who work with Department of
Veterans Affairs facilities, Department of Defense
military installations and Warrior Transition Units, amongst other
institutions..
BOB RICH is the author of
LOOKING THROUGH WATER (Skyhorse Publishing; Nov. 2015) and the
chairman of Rich Products, the largest family-owned frozen food
manufacturer in the U.S. Inspired by his love for fishing and the
outdoors,
LOOKING THROUGH WATER explores the complex waters of familial
relationships, the bond between three generations of men and the
incredible transformations that can take place on the water while
waiting for a fish.
Rich,
a member of the South Florida Fishing Hall of Fame, fell in love with
storytelling at summer camps in Northern Ontario. As he traveled from
the shores of Lake Erie to the
Florida Keys, he was inspired to write by one of literature’s greatest
storytellers, Ernest Hemingway. Now, after producing three books—Fish Fights, The Fishing Club and The Right Angle—and coauthoring a fourth, Secrets of the Delphi
Café. Rich is an avid fisherman who has traveled around the world to pursue his interest.
As
chairman of Rich Products, Rich oversees 9,200 employees, including
1,300 at their headquarters in Buffalo, New York. The $3.3 billion
company, founded by his father Bob Rich,
Sr. in 1945, is celebrating 70 years in business.
Project
Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. (PHWFF) is dedicated to the physical
and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service
personnel and veterans through fly
fishing and associated activities including education and outings.
Since the first program began in 2005 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., PHWFF now has:
·
6,300 veteran participants
·
208 operational programs
·
Programs in
50 states and in Germany.
·
More than
2,800 volunteers
·
150,000 volunteer hours donated last year
Program
activities include fly fishing instruction, fly tying classes, fly
casting workshops, rod building and fly fishing outings. Each program is
managed at the local level by
volunteers who work with Department of Veterans Affairs facilities,
Department of Defense military installations and Warrior Transition
Units, amongst other institutions.