In Advance of Her New Book 'The Road to Urbino' Read Roma Tearne's Breathtaking Novel 'The Swimmer'. a Gripping, Captivating Tale of Love, Loss and What Home Really Means. Forty-Three Year Old Ria is Used to Being Alone. As a Child, Her Life Changed Forever With the Death of Her Beloved Father and Since Then, She Has Struggled to Find Love.That Is, Until She Discovers the Swimmer. Ben is a Young Illegal Immigrant From Sri Lanka Who Has Arrived in Norfolk Via Moscow. Awaiting a Decision From the Home Office on His Asylum Application, He is Discovered by Ria As He Takes a Daily Swim in the River Close to Her House. He is Twenty Years Her Junior and Theirs is an Unconventional but Deeply Moving Romance, Defying Both Boundaries and Cultures - and the Xenophobic Residents of Orford. That Is, Until Tragedy Occurs.