The book to read during the Olympics season

I love Chris Cleave’s previous book, Little Bee, which I was informed will be turned into a movie starring Nicole Kidman. He has a new book out, about cyclists. Which is apt because athletes are congregating right now in London for the summer Olympics.

The Economist has this to say:

“Novels about sport are notoriously hard to pull off. It seems somewhat odd for a literary mind to care how often a ball makes it to the back of the net or how long it takes to sprint down a track. Yet that need not be so. The classic quest narrative—in which an individual overcomes obstacles to achieve a goal—could be a template for any single match or sporting career. “Gold”, Chris Cleave’s third novel, is a skilful demonstration of the form.”