In his debut novel, Treading Water, Dean Robert Holmes weaves a story of woe and resilience. Treading Water is a contemporary romance between a bisexual cis man named Wally and plus-sized cis woman, Suzy.

Suzy moved to Minnesota with a box full of rocks and a heart full of hope. But when she gets fired for her snarky mouth, all she wants to do is relax by the pool. Fuck the fact that her bikini is a size too small, and fuck her joints for rebelling against the lounge chair–she’s determined to find her chill.

For Wally, “chill” isn’t just a verb, it’s a lifestyle. Discarded by several divorcees after fulfilling their pool boy fantasies, he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of love. And it doesn’t help that his last (and first) boyfriend abandoned him for a younger man, leaving him confused and ashamed.

When Wally and Suzy meet at the pool, everything is sunshine. Smoking weed in the storage shed, chowing down on burgers, rock hunting at the North Shore. With Suzy, Wally finally discovers a partner who wants more than a one-night stand. And, for once, Suzy’s body is revered rather than ridiculed. But life rarely keeps the clouds at bay. The perils of poverty, trauma, and tragedy hurl Suzy and Wally into the shadows. Their relationship may withstand the weight of a single pebble, but when those pebbles become an avalanche, Wally and Suzy are forced to ask themselves one question: Is love enough?