She finds a talent for running, trains hard, and broadens her horizons, travelling to Amsterdam in 1928 for the Olympics, a watershed moment for women's athletics.
Snyder weaves fact with fiction. The actual race results are different, but women were barred from the 800m event after this Olympiad. The Canadian ladies' manager really was Alexandrine Gibb, who features regularly in Aganetha's life.
Another character, Fannie, reminded me of Fanny Blankers-Koen, the Olympic athlete who won four golds in 1948, but she doesn't get a mention here.
Aganetha is Smart by name and smart by nature, even now at 104 years old. Her mind is still active, (although she struggles to remember names), and she is wary of two youngsters who take her from an Ontario rest-home.
While trying to work out why the pair have abducted and driven her to the old family home, Aganetha is reminded of important events in her life. Through the Depression, the hunt for work, and the loss of several family members, her spirit and fortitude shine, with ''a yearning for trial and test''.
Out of more than a century, there are decades of inaction, but several significant happenings are revealed like a mosaic, creating a picture of her extraordinary life.
Many stories end with a death notice, and at one stage Aganetha writes obituaries for the Toronto Daily Star. A family tree aids with the background of male mortality in the Smart lineage, and future generations are shown as the story unfolds. Also a map of the family land and buildings helps envisage the surroundings.
As the pace increases and the last pieces of the puzzle fall into place for the reader, Aganetha realises who she is dealing with, and that she can still be of some use.
Snyder's first novel is an inspiring story of family and friends, struggle and sacrifice, tragedy and triumph, with no room for reflection or regret, as Aganetha is always running towards the next incident, with continued momentum that also carries along the reader.
- Rachel Gurney is an avid Dunedin reader.
