Book Review: GOLD by Chris Cleave

Book: Gold by Chris Cleave (Incendiary; Little Bee)
Reviewed by: Jessica

Chris Cleave’s latest novel, Gold, encompasses a lovely array of well developed characters full of raw, pumping emotion and a story with a pace that is an adrenaline junkie’s dream. Gold will hold every second of your attention. It is a riveting story about two female athletes pushed to the limits of their physical and mental endurance and the strangely miraculous bond that holds them close to each other.

Gold revolves around Zoe and Kate, two super athletes competing for the gold medal in Olympic cycling. Even though both originate from troubled childhoods, the two women are polar opposites. Zoe will stop at nothing to win a race; psyching out her opponents in any way possible. Zoe is unable to feel “human” and needs to race in order to feel alive. She is unable to confront a painful past and takes her anger into her game and uses her fury against those who care for her, distancing herself in the attempt to not let someone into her life too far. Kate on the other hand, cannot allow herself to focus one hundred percent on her own chances of winning because she is desperate for her daughter Sophie to beat leukemia. Kate is also easily swayed by Zoe’s aggression and falls prey to Zoe’s manipulations. Kate is able to cope better with life off the track, unlike Zoe, with her husband Jack’s help-another Olympic cyclist who began racing at the same time Zoe and Kate started. However, Jack’s sordid past with Zoe is a weak spot for Kate and another manipulative tool for Zoe to use against Kate. A well balanced variety of characters, including Tom-Zoe and Kate’s coach as well as mentor, father figure and the glue that holds both women together- make for a fascinating read.

The heartbreak and surprise of Gold will have you on the edge of your seat, cheering from left to right. I believe one of the greatest things about reading is the element of surprise in a book and Gold definitely delivers some maximum power punches of thrill and shock. It is an amazing book about two very different women’s iron will to keep going through their own hell and the unique bond that holds them together as friends. Be sure to snatch a copy of Gold off the shelf. You will not be disappointed.

Gold is available on our shelves now and via www.bookpeople.com.