All the Running You Can Do

by Tom Saunders

"Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"
—Lewis Carroll, Alice Through the Looking-Glass

248 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 2018

About the author

I began writing in my mid-thirties while taking a degree in English literature at Kingston Polytechnic. I later went on to do the MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, where my tutors were Sir Malcolm Bradbury and Angela Carter. I have published three collections of short stories, Brother, What Strange Place is This? Roof Whirl Away and The Corner of Moon Street; seven novels: Inappropriate Happiness, All the Running You Can Do, The Last Pines, Here's that Rainy Day, The Quality of Knowing, Bread and Honey and The Stone Fish as well as a collection of poetry: To the Boy.
All books are available from Reuben Books and some are on Amazon kindle. Many of my stories have been published in magazines and on the Internet. In 1995 I was an award winner in the Ian St James international short story competition and my story appears in the anthology Pleasure Vessels. I also have a story in the U.S. anthology Rebellion.

I was raised on London’s not-so-wild western edge and now live in rural Norfolk.

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Saunders is a master of literary fiction. I have admired his work (three collections of short stories, one of poems, and two novels) for two decades. This latest book, "All the Running You Can Do," gets its title from a Lewis Carroll quote from Through The Looking Glass. As the protaganist of this book is compelled to follow a woman, a stranger to him, the characters and their lives unfold to reveal what their "running" is all about. This author inhabits the heart and soul of his characters, and in this case, the facets of Ingram's world come alive on the page as his journey takes him to his own revelations. It is a quiet and beautifully detailed book that allowed me to reflect on my own life. Like the David Foster Wallace quote, "bees have to move very fast to stay still," indeed in today's world, it isn't always easy to recognize that "what is" and what you already have, is what you seek. I imagine every reader will take away her own interpretations of this novel, but meanwhile, you should enjoy the run. You won't be sorry.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"All the Running You Can Do" is another fine example of Tom Saunders' work and I knew as soon as I met Ingram that I was in for a pleasingly bumpy ride. Ingram is running away from his old life but has little to no idea what he is running toward. Perhaps he needs to turn off the noise of the life he knows and get far enough away from it to decide what he is going to do about his mysterious problem. It's funny, because it is often said that to do nothing is to do something. For Ingram, it's the reverse.

We have no idea what Ingram's problem is, just that it has him very upset. Softly and slowly, Mr. Saunders lets us in on the nature of the events disturbing Ingram. He's so gentle in the process, that I felt at times as if he were whispering, like the announcer in a nature series not wanting to spook the creature we're observing.

Not far into his exile, Ingram finds himself attached, Wizard-of-Oz style, to another runner, Theresa, who is searching for yet another runner named Flynn. Ingram joins her, as if finding her Wizard is as good a destination as any. Along the way, we are treated to an assortment of interesting and colorful characters, as well as the kind of lovely descriptions and observations readers of Mr. Saunders have come to expect. Whether he is talking about animals, plants, human nature, or just the ways a person's small actions tell a story, he always seems to make me smile and nod in recognition. An example: "The barman behind the hand-pumps, a white tea towel over his shoulder, was washing and drying more glasses than he was being asked to fill." And another: "The old man rested on his stick and leant forward in anticipation, his white moustache lifted by the thrust of his lips. He had on a greasy blazer with a regimental insignia over the breast pocket, a check shirt with a frayed collar, a ribbed gray pullover rucked-up high across his paunch and a pair of shapeless worsted trousers with a long, gaping fly. There was a warm lair smell to him, a whiff of tobacco and dog, of clothes more favored than washed."

The ending held some surprises. With so many people running, it isn't totally clear--or simple to say--who really found whom or what. How can you know when your search is done when you've never been sure what you were searching for to start with? I whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates beautiful writing and the master's touch in telling a thoughtful and thought-provoking story.

[Mary McCluskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been an admirer of Tom Saunders' writing since I read his early award-winning short stories and I've loved everything he's written since. 'All the Running You Can Do' is his second venture into the long form (Inappropriate Happiness, his first novel, is also highly recommended ) and he brings to this work all the strengths of his stories - lovely, lyrical writing, quirky and memorable characters, astute observations and a compelling story with the added depth and scope that the longer form allows. Another delight of this novel - a fine sense of place and a wonderful awareness of the natural world.

The story is intriguing. We meet the protagonist, Ingram, alone in a bar. He observes a woman also alone, studying a map, and he, along with the reader, becomes curious about her. Is she running away from something or searching for something? When Theresa Parry proves to be a reluctant conversationalist, Ingram wonders what she is hiding. Ingram, of course, has his own secrets. As the story unfolds and Ingram gets caught up in the urgency of Theresa's quest, his own past and problems are gradually revealed. The interaction of these characters, the secrets they hide, and the unexpected twists in the story will have readers urgently turning pages.

An excellent read. And a perfect gift!