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By Victor Price
“An intriguing novel concerning the metaphysics of sport, and of excellence in general. The protagonist is Colin Warnock—a miler at a college in Belfast who is almost too introspective for his own good. When he begins to wonder about the psychic state that is conducive to victory, Warnock finds himself unable to achieve it. Mr. Price does several good things in this novel, which makes the running of a minus-four-minute mile a symbolic act that represents the effort of any man ‘to surpass himself.’ He isolates and interweaves the influences on the athlete: the image of a famous father, an idyllic love affair, friendship with a bitter professor and his peppery Scottish coach. He paints in just enough of the damp Ulster landscape to give his book a unique flavor. And he describes magnificently the competition of running, in an inspired mixture of what the spectator sees and what a runner like Warnock feels.”
- The New York Times Book Review
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