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The extraordinary new novel from the author of international bestseller THE OTHER HAND.
Usually, this is where we'd tell you what this book is about.
But with Chris Cleave, it's a bit different.
Because if you've read THE OTHER HAND or INCENDIARY, you'll know that what his books are about is only part of the story - what really matters is how they make you feel.
GOLD is about the limits of human endurance, both physical and emotional.
It will make you cry.
GOLD is about what drives us to succeed - and what we choose to sacrifice for success.
It will make you feel glad to be alive.
GOLD is about the struggles we all face every day; the conflict between winning on others' terms, and triumphing on your own.
It will make you count your blessings.
GOLD is a story told as only Chris Cleave could tell it. And once you begin, it will be a heart-pounding race to the finish.
What would you sacrifice for the people you love?
KATE AND ZOE met at nineteen when they both made the cut for the national training program in track cycling—a sport that demands intense focus, blinding exertion, and unwavering commitment. They are built to exploit the barest physical and psychological edge over equally skilled rivals, all of whom are fighting for the last one tenth of a second that separates triumph from despair.
Now at thirty-two, the women are facing their last and biggest race: the 2012 Olympics. Each wants desperately to win gold, and each has more than a medal to lose.
Kate is the more naturally gifted, but the demands of her life have a tendency to slow her down. Her eight-year-old daughter Sophie dreams of the Death Star and of battling alongside the Rebels as evil white blood cells ravage her personal galaxy—she is fighting a recurrence of the leukemia that nearly killed her three years ago. Sophie doesn’t want to stand in the way of her mum’s Olympic dreams, but each day the dark forces of the universe seem to be massing against her.
Devoted and self-sacrificing Kate knows her daughter is fragile, but at the height of her last frenzied months of training, might she be blind to the most terrible prognosis?
Intense, aloof Zoe has always hovered on the periphery of real human companionship, and her compulsive need to win at any cost has more than once threatened her friendship with Kate—and her own sanity. Will she allow her obsession, and the advantage she has over a harried, anguished mother, to sever the bond they have shared for more than a decade?
Echoing the adrenaline-fueled rush of a race around the Velodrome track, Gold is a triumph of superbly paced, heart-in-throat storytelling. With great humanity and glorious prose, Chris Cleave examines the values that lie at the heart of our most intimate relationships, and the choices we make when lives are at stake and everything is on the line.
About the Author
Chris Cleave's debut novel INCENDIARY won the Somerset Maugham Award, among others. His second, the Costa-shortlisted THE OTHER HAND, was a global bestseller and sat in the New York Times Top Ten for over a year (under the US title, Little Bee). Both books were shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prizes. He lives in Kingston-upon-Thames with his wife and three children
'The Other Hand is shocking, exciting and deeply affecting.' [The Canberra Times]'Cleave weaves love, loss and social idealism into a cleverly constructed story that stirs the pot of things that matter.' [Qantas Magazine]'Cleave is a genuine optimist, he believes in the goodness of humanity and that's what makes this a truly pleasurable book to read.' [The Courier Mail]'A powerful piece of art... shocking, exciting and deeply affecting...[a] superb novel... THE OTHER HAND delivers a timely challenge to reinvigorate our notions of civilized decency.' [Independent on THE OTHER HAND]'Exquisitely balanced between terrible sadness and brilliant humour.' [Observer on THE OTHER HAND]
ISBN: 9780340963449
ISBN-10: 0340963441
Audience:
General
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 384
Published: 12th June 2012
Dimensions (cm): 23.4 x 15.4
x 2.9
Weight (kg): 0.51
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