"Girl Runner" by Carrie Snyder

   This novel begins with the protagonist, Aganetha Smart, at 104, living in a nursing home.  A young couple arrive to take her out.  It is believed that they are just going outside for a visit, but they take her to the farm where she grew up.
   Aganetha had been an Olympic runner and the story brings in vignettes of her youth.  I enjoyed reading about her life on the farm where she loved to run and balance on railings or even on running horses.
   Aganetha moved to Toronto where she worked at Packer Meats and began training. She became pregnant, and the story of the birth is released in small details throughout the book, leading to the climax, revealing the significance of the young couple who take the 104 year-old Aganetha from the nursing home.

  Carrie Snyder, the author, is also a runner, and she agreed to speak to our book club.  I asked about the non-linear aspect of her writing and she said that the story just came to her that way.  She began thinking about Aganetha at 104 and she developed the story from there.

Preston Library Book Club