Review: Riding by Cassia Cassitas

Anyone who has a love of Olympic athletics should have an appreciation, at least, for this novel. Written by Cassia Cassitas, it tells the athletic stories of Mario, Elizabeth, and their son Andre.

The novel jumps from location to location and year to year, so you need to make sure you read the headings. If you don't, you will get confused.
   The third person narration vividly paints stories of perseverance, and the desire to prove oneself. Particularly when it comes to Andre's story - an extraordinary special needs bicyclist who wants to compete in the Paralympics.
   The only things I have an issue with are the liberal use of hyphens. In some scenes, hyphens take the place of quotations. Now, I know the author was trying to show the inner dialogue, but it would have been better without the hyphens. Maybe italicizing the inner dialogue would have been more efficient.
   And I also wish there would have been more dialogue. I am a big dialogue fan. I understand the need to show inner thoughts and struggles (after all, I am an author) and to paint the picture of what is physically happening in the story, but with this story, more dialogue would have been a boon.
   However, it is a decent read and very inspiring.
Full disclosure: I was sent this book free of charge and received compensation in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.