Cycling

Library Journal

Brad Cannon is a wealthy, college-educated, 30-year-old Texan whose parents and younger brother were killed in a highway accident when he was still a teen. A few years later, his girlfriend was abducted and murdered. Despite the horror, Brad carries on-he goes to college and graduate school and even writes a successful book about the Civil War. His grandparents expect him to take over their foundation some day. But Brad has slipped into a holding pattern that includes very little other than a daily bicycle ride (as much as 40 miles some days). When one of his buddies dies, Brad inherits his dog, Audrey, who needs and appreciates him. This minor change in his life is the snowflake that starts an avalanche, and at last Brad is propelled out of his holding pattern and back into life. Winner of the William Faulkner Prize, Garrett (Free Bird) creates characters who are whole and complex and both monolog and dialog that hold one's interest. Readers won't necessarily like Brad, but they will enjoy his story and its optimistic conclusion. Recommended.-Joanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.