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A review by libellum_aphrodite
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe
2.0
I thought this way going to be a novel about long distance running, and, BOY, was I wrong: it's a collection of short stories, and long distance running is merely a secondary theme in the title story. Yet another unexpected item was the overwhelming aura of sadness permeating the whole book, ranging from bone-crushing loneliness, to stifled anger and resentment, to mental illness.
The set is an interesting enough portrayal of [post-]war Britain and life for the factory working class, but aside from a few reflections in the running story ("...and I couldn't see anybody, and I knew what the loneliness of the long distance runner running across the country felt like, realizing that as far as I was concerned this feeling was the only honesty and realness there was in the world..."), I didn't feel much connection with the characters, only deep and largely generic pity, making it academically intriguing, but overall not very compelling.
The set is an interesting enough portrayal of [post-]war Britain and life for the factory working class, but aside from a few reflections in the running story ("...and I couldn't see anybody, and I knew what the loneliness of the long distance runner running across the country felt like, realizing that as far as I was concerned this feeling was the only honesty and realness there was in the world..."), I didn't feel much connection with the characters, only deep and largely generic pity, making it academically intriguing, but overall not very compelling.