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'Tom Lee’s first novel is about a young jogger who is in a relationship with an older woman. She is both his coach and his mentor. Coach Fitz, as he calls her, seeks to instil a philosophy of running which combines ‘controlled intensity’ with a curiosity about places and their histories. A country boy, he is fascinated by the landscapes of the city beaches and parks through which they travel. And he has his own obsessions – with exercise routines, ancestral legacies, outdoor gyms, horse-racing, weather conditions and inner-city eating habits. Then, suddenly, their relationship falls apart, over the issue of sex – and he becomes a coach and mentor in turn, to a young man this time, as he attempts to orchestrate an ideal expression of his emotional, athletic and intellectual urges.
'Coach Fitz is an exploration of the outdoor mentality that plays such a dominant role in the Australian psyche. It is remarkable for its observations about landscape and physical exercise, embedded in the training routines and dialogues of the runners. But most of all it is about the emotions and aspirations of youth, and the complications these engender.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Carolyn Van Langenberg Reviews Coach Fitz by Tom Lee
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Plumwood Mountain [Online] , April 2019;
— Review of Coach Fitz 2018 single work novel -
Coach Fitz and the Accidentally Comic Voice
2019
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 26 June 2019; -
Running Man : Coach Fitz by Tom Lee
2019
single work
essay
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , April 2019; -
Tom Lee : Coach Fitz
2018
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 15-21 September 2018;'Tom is a young man in need of a spiritual guide and a personal trainer, someone to rehabilitate his damaged self-image and bring down his half-marathon time. Enter Coach Fitz. This guru in a yellow legionnaire’s cap is an exceptional long-distance runner and a former psychoanalyst. She’s also full of strong opinions about the many ways in which young men are led astray.' (Introduction)
-
Carolyn Van Langenberg Reviews Coach Fitz by Tom Lee
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Plumwood Mountain [Online] , April 2019;
— Review of Coach Fitz 2018 single work novel -
Tom Lee : Coach Fitz
2018
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 15-21 September 2018;'Tom is a young man in need of a spiritual guide and a personal trainer, someone to rehabilitate his damaged self-image and bring down his half-marathon time. Enter Coach Fitz. This guru in a yellow legionnaire’s cap is an exceptional long-distance runner and a former psychoanalyst. She’s also full of strong opinions about the many ways in which young men are led astray.' (Introduction)
-
Running Man : Coach Fitz by Tom Lee
2019
single work
essay
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , April 2019; -
Coach Fitz and the Accidentally Comic Voice
2019
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 26 June 2019;
Awards
- 2019 winner The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist of the Year
- 2019 longlisted Voss Literary Prize