Strong at the Broken Places — Clayton Lindemuth

★★★★★ Aɴ ᴀʟᴄʜᴇᴍɪᴄ ɪɴғᴇʀɴᴏ... ~~Sᴀɴ Fʀᴀɴᴄɪsᴄᴏ Bᴏᴏᴋ Rᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ★★★★★ RelentlessFive stars for a beautiful book with a truly triumphant ending. ~~Kᴀᴛᴇ Pʏɴᴄʜ Nɪᴄᴋ Fɪsᴛᴇʀ's ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴɴɪɴɢᴇsᴛ ᴜʟᴛʀᴀ-ʀᴜɴɴᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ's ᴘᴀɪᴅ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴄᴇ. Hɪs ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ Tᴜᴇsᴅᴀʏ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʟɪғᴇ. Hɪs ᴡɪғᴇ ɪs sʟᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪs ᴄʀᴇᴡ ᴄʜɪᴇғ, Fʟᴏʏᴅ. Aɴᴅ ʜɪs ɢʀᴇᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ғᴀɴ - ᴀ ғᴏʀᴍᴇʀ-Mᴀʀɪɴᴇ sɴɪᴘᴇʀ - ʜᴀs ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴇssᴇᴅ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴄʀᴇᴇᴘʏ sᴛᴀʟᴋᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴀᴅʟʏ ᴍᴇɴᴀᴄᴇ. Nɪᴄᴋ's ᴄʜᴏsᴇɴ Dᴇᴀᴛʜ Vᴀʟʟᴇʏ's Bᴀᴅᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ 135 ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴜᴛᴀʟ ᴄᴀᴘsᴛᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜɪs ᴄᴀʀᴇᴇʀ. Wʜᴇɴ Fʟᴏʏᴅ ғᴀɪʟs ᴛᴏ sʜᴏᴡ ᴀᴛ ʀᴀᴄᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛ, Nɪᴄᴋ ʙᴇɢɪɴs ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʜɪᴍ - ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀʀɴs sʜᴏʀᴛʟʏ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ Fʟᴏʏᴅ ᴡᴀs sᴛᴀʙʙᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ. Nɪᴄᴋ Fɪsᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴡɪɴs, ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪs ʀᴇʟᴇɴᴛʟᴇss ғᴏᴄᴜs ᴋᴇᴇᴘs ʜɪᴍ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀᴄᴇ. Bᴜᴛ sᴏᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Iɴʏᴏ Cᴏᴜɴᴛʏ Dᴇᴘᴜᴛɪᴇs ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ Nɪᴄᴋ's ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴡɪғᴇ. Tʜᴇ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇᴅ ʙᴜsɪɴᴇss ᴘᴀʀᴛɴᴇʀsʜɪᴘ. Tʜᴇ ʟɪғᴇ ɪɴsᴜʀᴀɴᴄᴇ. Dɪᴅ Nɪᴄᴋ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀ Fʟᴏʏᴅ, ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ǫᴜᴇᴜɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴘsʏᴄʜᴏᴛɪᴄ sɴɪᴘᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀʟʟ? Oʀ ɪs Nɪᴄᴋ Fɪsᴛᴇʀ ʀᴜɴɴɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ʜɪs ʟɪғᴇ? Grab STRONG AT THE BROKEN PLACES and prepare for a marathon reading session.★★★★1/2 One of those books that's going to stick with me for a while. ~~Manhattan Book Review★★★★★: A story about finding yourself, facing your inner demons, forgiving, dealing with loss, and despite all that, still moving forward. ~~Seattle Book Review★★★★★ Wrenching... Relentless... Cathartic... Enlightening... Readers Like You Say? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I think this is Clayton's best book, lots of stories within stories, but the narrative of the pain of running long distances is excellent. I used to run 10ks and the mental strai