Down Sterling Road

by Adrian Michael Kelly

Eleven-year-old Jacob McKnight doesn’t like running. He doesn’t like the hills, the cold wind, the slushy electrolyte drinks, the interval training. He doesn’t like the way his dad is always pushing harder, faster, what’s wrong with you, boy? But mostly he doesn’t like the way it gives him time to think about the accident that shattered his brother’s body and his parents’ marriage. Jacob would rather be drawing than running. He likes the Anatomy Colouring Book his dad gave him, and he likes how it helps him to better draw superheroes, with their unbreakable bodies. He likes, too, how drawing makes him forget about how much he misses his mum, about how hard his dad works to pay for their tiny apartment and secondhand clothes, about the pitying whispers that follow them around Glanisberg. Down Sterling Road parses the anatomy of childhood with wisdom, wit and wonder; it’s one of the most charismatic books you’ll read all year.

250 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2001

Reviews

[Jane Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwrenching. Gave me bad dreams.

[gallery violette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently re-read this book when looking for books on running. It's as heartbreaking as it was the first time I read it. Any runner with his/her own story would love this book about Jacob and his father who deal with the death of Jacob's twin brother through running. The language is poetic and captures beautifully the thoughts and experiences of an 11 year old boy dealing with friendship, family and confidence.

A great choice for a book club or running group.

[Anni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed on www.whichbook.net