The Memory of Running (just released in paperback) centers on an obese man who bicycles across the country. It’s funny, touching — and not at all autobiographical, says McLarty. But the tale does have roots in his life. “My parents were in an automobile accident,” he says. “The book started as a long poem that had nothing to do with my mother and father. I then started telling their story to myself.”
After three decades of writing novels that nobody read (Running was the third completed, way back in 1988), McLarty is tweaking his latest book. “It’s nice that I’ve had to wait this long,” he says. “I can appreciate the nature of luck.”
Wed., Jan. 25, 7 p.m.
