Apr
21
Book Review: Again to Carthage
In Again to Carthage, the 30-years-in-the-making sequel to Once a Runner, John Parker reintroduces a now-older Quenton Cassidy, who has matured from an already-precocious elite college track star to a perhaps not-quite-middle-aged lawyer. With this premise, this would seem the ideal book for many of us middle-aged runners aspiring to some level of marathon glory to draw inspiration from, more so than the original story portraying a top-tier collegiate athletics world which most have never experienced. If that is your motivation for reading this book, perhaps you are best suited looking elsewhere. That being said, it is still an entertaining and light read and worth taking along on your next vacation or spin on the stationary bike.
Again to Carthage is available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle formats from Amazon
For the updated version of Quenton Cassidy, a law office and occasional courtroom take the place of the classroom (which may hearken you back to the faux trial of Jack Nubbins), upscale Palm Beach society replaces the track-team dormitory, and fishing and snorkeling hobbies dull some of the intensity of his now-recreational running (though it may take a leap to call sub-6:00 miles “recreational”). Cassidy remains the center of a ring of friends, who range broadly in their athletic inclinations, and his wit remains as sharp as ever, with his strong intellect further honed through education and experience. He is quick to respond to challenges to his running superiority, effectively “smacking-down” a law partner who dares to challenge him to race a mile.
Despite the quantity of activities Cassidy pursues, there are no real “commitments” per say to tie him down, and his life is generally care-free. Even the sudden death of a college teammate in Vietnam seems to roll off with little effect. It is only when Cassidy travels to the Piedmont region of North Carolina, symbolically via motorcycle (perhaps the most ubiquitous gadget ever to signal the onset of a midlife crisis), to attend the funeral of his grandfather, and his visit is further darkened by the sudden passing of another relative, that Cassidy seems to reflect on his own purpose in life, and decide that lawyering for the wealthy and sunning in the Caribbean may not, in fact, be his ultimate calling.
In tracking down his now-retired former coach Bruce Denton in Raleigh, Cassidy’s newly-discovered purpose becomes clear – to make a run for qualifying for the US marathon team for the 1980 (i.e., Moscow) Olympics. Perhaps it’s not as much the return to the Olympics itself as it is the opportunity to join a narrow field of successful sub-4:00 milers who also competed effectively in the marathon that motivates Cassidy. He thus returns to the realm of the dedicated runner, logging upwards of 130 miles per week while leaving the workaday world and leisurely weekends behind, rediscovering himself, such as it were, during the summers on the trails of his grandparent’s property in North Carolina and on the streets of the Florida panhandle during the winter.
The book doesn’t focus too heavily on his training – just logs the miles, in essence, as he rediscovers his passion while again putting the rest of his life on hold. Another passion reemerges as well – that for his college girlfriend Andrea, who makes increasing appearances while again tolerating (barely it seems) the presence of his one true love. She even plays a critical role in saving Cassidy from a perhaps-predictable over-training incident. Denton of course plays a larger role as a confidant, coach, and sometimes partner on Cassidy’s voyages; perhaps he lives vicariously through his mentee given his own injury-limited ability to run.
What may be more enlightening than the training is the marathon experience itself, save for a downright silly incident of retribution from the bested law partner mentioned above that really adds nothing to the book. Perhaps the hallucinations of former colleagues, the growing bleed from his feet, and the increasing tunnel vision are what we all might expect were we to truly push ourselves to our limits in a one-or-done event seeking to reach a seemingly-unachievable goal. If Cassidy’s experience is what it takes to reach greatness at the marathon, perhaps we should all rethink our approach to the race, counting on life-like images of long-lost friends to help us ignore the pain.
At the end of the day, this is more a book about mortality and pursuing your dreams while you can than it is about running. Perhaps the gap that leaves me finding the book a bit lacking is the real dearth of binding commitments that allows Cassidy to pursue his dream with undistracted intensity. For many of us, such an option is not available, and we have to work within the real boundaries of this thing known as “our lives” in coping with our midlife crises. Frankly, its a trade-off I’m happy to make – I find the pursuit of lofty running goals as part of an overall balanced life both satisfying and rewarding. But then again, it’s nice to peruse a piece of fiction such as Again to Carthage once in a while to let our imagination run free. And it is a good reminder that, like I’ve pointed out before, there is still time to chase lofty ambitions.
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