The Memory of Running

Media: Audio book from Audible via my iPod
Author: Ron McLarty

Final Grade: A

Review: I read/listen to a lot of books, and after finishing even the best of tombs I usually immediately forget the name of the protagonist. Not so with The Memory of Running. Smithy Ide made such an impression on me that I doubt I will be forgetting him anytime soon. In Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King said, "Smithy is an American original, worthy of a place on the shelf just below your Hucks, your Holdens, your Yossarians." While I'm not sure I can accept McLarty's Smithy Ide as quite of an indelible character as Salinger's Holden Caulfield, he is very memorable.

The book alternates between the past and the present with all stories told from the point of view of the main character: the aforementioned Smithy Ide. Smithy is in his forties and is a self-proclaimed fat-ass. At the inception of the book, while Smithy doesn't live with his parents, his social circle is essentially limited to them. The parents are almost immediately killed in a tragic accident, and in the ensuing commotion Smithy finds a letter addressed to his father confirming the death of his sister Bethany in California. Bethany had some sort of psychosis where she heard a voice that told her to do strange, inappropriate, and sometimes violent things. Smithy begins a bike ride from Rhode Island to California to collect her body.

The tale continues as Smithy meets some unique people and has some life-changing experiences during his trip. His flashbacks talk about growing up with Bethany and we learn more about their relationship. Additionally, the trip helps Smithy reconnect with the love of his life - Norma - who Smithy hadn't talked to in more than 20 years.

I highly recommend this book. Whether you choose to listen to it or to actually read it, Ron McLarty has woven a story that I believe will meet the test of time.