"Riders who hop onto the back of Smithy Ide's bike and ride America with him will cherish the journey. I loved this sad, funny, life-affirming novel."

​

WALLY LAMB

"The Memory of Running,

professional actor and long aspiring novelist Ron  McLarty has invented a character so fully and elegantly 

defined that the book  soars with originality and 

life"

​

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“

"The two narrative lines are funny, strange, heartbreaking and beautiful. Mr. McLarty writes with warmth and depth, inviting his readers into Smith's world and making them comfortable there."

​

WALL STREET JOURNAL

"This is a book that can do more than walk; it has a chance to be a breakout bestseller. . . . Smithy is an American original, worthy of a place on the shelf just below your Hucks, your Holdens, your Yossarians."

​

STEPHEN KING

"[A] story narrated so clearly inside a reader's head that she can just settle back for the ride, escaping the daily grind."

​

PORTLAND OREGONIAN

"Captivating novel...McLarty unspools passage after 

passage of devastating  grace and melancholy, and 
his taciturn hero hooks 
himself to your heart."

​

ENTERTIANMENT WEEKLY

"It's an exhilarating ride"

​

NEWSWEEK

"A funny, poignant...debut  that aims, like its 
protagonist to please."

​

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"[A] moving debut novel."

​

LIFE MAGAZINE

"Wonderfully 
full­bodied, deep­souled first novel that is 
both melancholy and masterly."

​

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL