Gold by Chris Cleave

How do you walk away from competing in the Olympics you trained almost your entire life to win?  What is more important than winning?  What is the value of gold?

Cleave, the writer of the thought-provoking novel Little Bee, is at it again.  Zoe, Kate and Jack are all champion cyclists.  Their lives are tied together by their sport and in a million other ways, large and small.  As a reader you feel like you are experiencing life as an athlete, you hear the pitch of the tires change on the slopes in the velodrome, feel the breeze as you near your competitor’s back tire, know what it’s like to have your heart rate triple.  If you’re a fan of the Olympics, here’s a great way to vicariously experience what it’s like to be an Olympian.