Inspired by the Canadian women’s track and field team, who participated in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games, this novel is the story of Aganetha Smart, the “Girl Runner” of the title. Although Aganetha is fictional, Carrie Snyder says her character, who must fight sexism and discrimination, as well as make a life for herself when her running days are over, represents the problems many sportswomen face today.
“When I consider these issues… steam comes out of my ears,” Carrie writes in her author’s note. But this novel is so much more than an athlete’s lament. It’s about family and friendship, and the ties that bind us to one another, long after love and affection have been exhausted.
The novel opens with Aganetha propped up in a wheelchair in an old people’s home. She’s 104 years old and has outlived everyone she knows. One day, a young woman and her brother who want to document Aganetha’s life spirit her away from the rest home. To all intents and purposes, the pair have kidnapped Aganetha, but she is a willing hostage. She’s been a runner all her life and so she just wants to go somewhere – even if these days it isn’t under her own steam. So in exchange for helping her to escape a life of boredom, she tells the pair her life story.
This is a lovely book, beautifully written, interweaving stories of family, friends and burning ambition. There’s a nice little twist in the tale at the end too. I’m already looking forward to Carrie’s next novel.
