Water Music

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"Water Music" is journalist Georgette Gouveia's provocative debut novel about four gay athletes and their rivalries in life and love. Psychological, profound and erotic, it’s the first in her groundbreaking series “The Games Men Play” that’s set in the impassioned world of men’s sports. “Water Music” is available for purchase online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  

A cultural writer for more than 30 years, Gouveia is the most recent in a progressive thread of women writers like Annie Proulx of “Brokeback Mountain” who pen novels involving gay men and sexual storylines. Her choice of gay characters has invited praise and question alike, and Gouveia discusses her motivations, public reaction and the novel's cultural implications on her blog.

"For millennia, men have shaped and defined women," says Gouveia, who captivates readers with her sage insight into current events, bold viewpoints and buoyant wordplay. "It's only in recent history that women have been so bold as to consider the emotional and sexual lives of men. I like to think that my characters and I meet on the bridge of the imagination and that they allow all of us, but perhaps women in particular, to explore edgier sexual situations in a compelling, thoughtful way."

“Water Music” readers will engage and identify with Gouveia’s complex characters and no doubt will look at the dynamics of competition – and contemporary sports figures – in a whole new light. Daniel and Dylan are the top swimmers in the world; Alex and Alí, the top tennis players. They play for God, country, family and the need to escape their troubled – and shrouded – pasts. In their quest to be the best, they also harbor a secret: Each is in love with his rival.

“Water Music” narrates a tangled drama driven by power, jealousy, dominance and submission. Readers may also detect that these ancient themes mimic the games nations play. Gouveia deftly plays the metaphor against the backdrop of the modern sporting world.

Told from alternating viewpoints, “Water Music” is a tale of how sports mirrors politics; how the past informs the present and the future; how the choices made by world leaders, our families and ourselves color our lives; and how we come to accept those choices and learn to live with loss through love.

PRAISE FOR “WATER MUSIC”

“‘Water Music’ is a compelling story about the language of male relationships.  Georgette Gouveia’s debut novel is deep, tender, perceptive and provocative on every level.  I look forward to reading more by this author.” – Karen Rippstein, poet, creative writing instructor

“Georgette Gouveia brings the eye of an artist and the ear of a musician to ‘Water Music,’ her debut novel, which plunges you into the world of competitive sports to meet the men who play the games.  The fascinating and spirited novel sweeps readers from Olympic swimming pools to the courts at Wimbledon.  And when the swim trunks are off and the tennis rackets tucked away, she finds these athletes in the bedroom, where they fall in love and finally learn who they really are.” – Barbara Nachman, author, “Editor of the Year”

 “‘Water Music’ is a haunting story of what it means to be an outsider in our often cruel culture and even in our own lives.  In the end, it’s a story about how we come to accept others and ourselves and that makes it a timely tale indeed.” – Dr. Erika Schwartz, author, “The Hormone Friendly Diet”

“‘Water Music’ is modern, sleek, has great characters, witty dialogue and a setup that will keep readers turning the page.  Ms. Gouveia blends history, politics and literary references and allusions like a classical scholar, yet she never distracts or loses the reader’s rapt attention.” – Sarah Bracey White, author, “Primary Lessons”