A review by pamelaaugust
The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty

4.0

What a wonderful surprise read! I was looking for another book and stumbled upon this one quite accidentally. I was drawn in first by the title, then the cover and what I read on the fly leaf. This is a middle-age coming-of-age tale about a loner/loser alcoholic 40-something guy working in a toy factory. His world is radically changed when both of his parents are killed in a car wreck and then within a few days he finds out that his missing mentally ill sister has been found dead. He is suddenly utterly alone. In his younger years he used to be an avid runner and bike rider. In his grief one night he takes off on his childhood bike and then begins biking from Rhode Island to California to claim his sister's remains. The book is his cross-country biking adventure--what he learns about humanity and himself. The only part I didn't like about this book was a few of his cross country encouters were too "victimizing" and random,, which caused the book to seem a bit far-fetched at times. However, overall Smithy Ide was a very geniuine and flawed, but likeable fellow.