Stephanie Reents's quietly propulsive first novel, We Loved to Run, illuminates the experiences of a women's cross-country team at a small liberal arts college through the collective voices of its six top runners. Reents's narrative delves into team dynamics, body image, and the balancing act of being a student-athlete, plus the complicated feelings each team member has about running itself.
As the team plunges into an intense fall season, star runner Kristin is struggling with an experience she had over the summer, while Chloe is nudging Kristin for the top spot. Team captain Danielle is trying to keep everyone focused while hiding her own secrets, and Harriet, Liv, and Patricia are each considering their own internal challenges. All of them are weighing--sometimes literally--their constant need to go farther and faster against the limits of their abilities and the (occasional) need to rest and recover. Reents brilliantly evokes the competing priorities each girl must manage: eating enough but not too much; honing their fitness without wearing themselves out; pulling decent grades while still having a social life; and handling everyone's expectations--their coaches', their parents', each other's, their own.
Told in a first-person-plural style, Reents's narrative examines the impossible standards young women set for themselves and sometimes impose on each other; the deep bonds of friendship complicated by competitive instincts; and the sheer exhilaration of a winning race or a satisfying workout. We Loved to Run is a sharp, bold exploration of young womanhood and a tribute to running's complex, enduring appeal. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams