Oxygen Debt

by Duncan Larkin

There are so many books out there-boring, predictable books-about a charming, good-looking protagonist; a dashing hero facing impossible odds who saves the day after a giant, vapid climax. Good guys over here; bad guys over there. But not OXYGEN DEBT. Its anti-hero, Clay Griffin, is a real mess. His bulbous nose juts out like a ship's full-sailed mast; his fattened cheeks are pitted with acne scars that cast shadows like a lunar relief map. He's got a mullet that he feathers with a dandruff-speckled plastic comb. He listens religiously to Bob Seger while he drives his fourth-generation 1978 Chevy Nova from his one-room apartment to a real dandy of a job--fishing pieces of meat out of an industrial-sized bone grinder at a meat packing plant in a fictitious Nebraskan town. One day in the middle of this ugly monotony, Clay's boss summons him to his office and fires him. This spurs Clay to action. He declares war on his dead-end life. Hell-bent to turn things around, he heads west on a cross-country Odyssey where he gets pummeled by a golf club-wielding convenience store attendant, saved by Samaritans (who he subsequently steals from), taken under the wing of a corrupt foreman who abuses wayward Mexican day laborers, involved in an internecine turf war between opposing homeless shelter gangs under the stewardship of a tonsured Franciscan monk, and eventually mingled in a romantic relationship with an enigmatic woman, Karen. Karen changes his life. A world-class marathoner, Karen introduces him to the world of running. She helps him lose weight and gain confidence by training him to run his first marathon. She picks him up and builds him into something he's never fit, happy, and madly in love. Clay has never been happier, in fact. And so they got married and live happily ever after, right? Not quite. There's a lot more to Karen. And there's a lot more to Clay too. Read OXYGEN DEBT to find out.

284 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2010

About the author

Duncan Larkin has tried to shoehorn as much as possible into his life. As a teenager, he was a Ham Radio Operator, Rotary Club foreign exchange student, Taekwondo white belt, linoleum-surface break dancer, often-pinned wrestler, and occasional school politician. As an adult, he's a West Point and U.S. Army Ranger School graduate, World War 1 painter, top-300 U.S. marathoner in 2006, and a father of four. He's almost been sucked out of a plane and was kicked out of his host family's house in Switzerland.

Duncan is the younger brother of New York Times best-selling author Pat Larkin. He's written numerous articles for nationwide periodicals such as Running Times, Marathon and Beyond, and Competitor Magazine online. In 2007, he covered the 100-Mile Himalayan Stage Race--a crazy adventure filled with fever, infection, and other near-death experiences.

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this book had a bit more editing, I could have easily given it a 4. The abundance of errors made it overly apparent that this was a self-published book. I also feel elements of the story could have been a bit stronger with some minor reworking.

That said, it was very hard to put this book down (I read it in a day). The central running theme certainly appealed to me as a runner, but it was so refreshing to have this theme intertwined with such an unconventional story. I must say that the main character is so unlikeable (without really a single redeeming quality) that it threatened to turn me off from the book entirely at times. However, the striking characters, settings, and plot twists and turns that he encounters managed to hold my interest in spite of this.

I would be interested to see what a non-runner thinks of this book as I wonder how much my "runner goggles" affected my judgement. That said, it was about as far from a traditional "running novel" as you could get.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a runner, you should read this book. If you are just starting to run but are committed to it, then you should definitely read this book. If you're a once a month park jogger, or you occasionally "run" on the treadmill at the Y for the 30 minute prescribed limit because others are waiting, or you're that person that bought the $140 pair of running shoes that the Dick's clerk suggested but they are still in your closet with 5 miles on them, then skip it - read the latest People or In Touch Weekly instead. Real runners will understand Clay's struggles, his fits and starts, and will find something and maybe many things in common with the dumb oaf that is Clay - "yup". You will also find an amusing tale, one that is pathetic, sad, funny, and twisted all at the same time. Enjoy.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good for a first novel.

Really miss Mr. Larkin's amazing blog (which was really only active from 2007-2009). It had maybe a few dozen dedicated readers at the time, as I recall, of which I was fortunate to be one.

Now it appears to be password-protected (but active? It's not really a blog then, if no one else can read it).