CAPSIZED

Margaret Douglas’ role as one of Boston Rowing Club’s varsity captains was the center of her life. But she’s mysteriously absent from training over the summer, shocking her team and costing her the leadership role. Jo Bryant has moved to Boston, where her dad, a former Olympic gold medalist in rowing, coaches the Kenmore Boat Club, the all-boys counterpart to BRC. Jo, who has “pale blond hair” and presents white, is giving crew a shot to please her divorced parents, though she couldn’t be less interested in the sport. As the Head of the Charles, the season’s most important race, nears, Jo’s and Margaret’s lives become inextricably linked throughout their cutthroat BRC training. Their teammates are complex, well-developed characters, especially India Manning, who’s gay and a fierce competitor; she rowed in a varsity pair at Nationals with Margaret, who has “warm olive-toned skin.” Unfortunately, the perspective shifts between Margaret and Jo slow the pace of the story, and a frustrating lack of details and delayed reveals make the emotional beats, once they finally arrive, less resonant. The novel’s many disparate elements—training, romances, family conflict, privilege, and question...