“The book’s as poetic as anything you’ll read on the early days of pro women’s soccer, on the joys and grim realities of an athlete’s life, on pain tolerance, on the art of sportswriting itself.”
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE STRIKER AND THE CLOCK
“With the deft and determined movements of a seasoned player, Georgia Cloepfil writes about what it means to endure and what it means to leave a sport behind.”
Leanne Shapton, author of Swimming Studies
"The Striker and the Clock serves as a poignant reminder that both art and sport can gift us fleeting encounters with the extraordinary."
Chloé Cooper Jones, author of Easy Beauty
“Cloepfil’s accomplishments and sacrifices while on the clock left me inspired; her talent on the page has me in awe.”
Courtney Maum, author of The Year of the Horses
“The Striker and the Clock is the book I've been waiting for all my life. Cloepfil so elegantly and poetically captures the beautiful connection between the game, art, and identity while exploring what it means to love something, to become it, and then leave it behind.”
Marisa Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself
“A nimble, breathtaking book about the beautiful game…But it is far more interesting than an ordinary story of passion, promise, setback, and success. It is, instead, a clear-eyed exploration of what passion, promise, setback, and success even mean.”
Louisa Thomas, New Yorker sports writer and author of Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams
PRESS for THE STRIKER AND THE CLOCK
“This memoir by a journeywoman soccer player highlights her unfailing devotion to her sport, which takes her to club teams around the world.” — New York Times
“Riveting. . . . A paean to the beautiful game, the book chronicles how Cloepfil overcame adversity to strike joy.” —Los Angeles Times
“The book’s as poetic as anything you’ll read on the early days of pro women’s soccer, on the joys and grim realities of an athlete’s life, on pain tolerance, on the art of sportswriting itself.” - Defector
"This is a book of uncommonly honest insight, full of wisdom won not through adulation but persistence." - Washington Post
“A marvelous love letter to soccer and a testament to the drive and determination of professional female athletes. . . . Athletes and non-sports fans alike will enjoy this beautifully written memoir.” —Booklist, starred review
“Spare but potent…An intimate glimpse at the determination and drive required to hack it in pro sports. Even casual soccer fans will devour this.” — Publishers Weekly
“Celebrates the beauty of soccer while showing the sacrifices elite athletes make to stay in the game. . . . A thoughtful and engaging exploration of life on and off the soccer field.” —Library Journal
“A poetic, heartfelt tribute to the beautiful game.”— Kirkus Reviews
“Like a clock, a striker’s body moves compulsively forward. We orient ourselves toward a goal.”
Georgia Cloepfil played professional soccer for six years, on six teams, in six countries. During those years, the sport became more than a game—it was an immersive yet transient way of life. In South Korea, she lived and practiced in an isolated island compound next to an airport. In Australia, she coached youth teams on the side to pay her rent. In Lithuania, she played in the European Champions League, to empty stadiums and little fanfare. She lived out of a single suitcase, chasing better opportunities and the euphoria of playing well.
The Striker and the Clock is a beautiful examination of the joy and pain of serious athletics. It’s also an eye-opening look at the still-developing world of professional women’s soccer. Written in ninety short passages—reflecting the ninety inexorably passing minutes of a soccer match—the book is a love letter to a maddening sport and a reflection on the ways it has shaped a life.
This finely wrought, singular book celebrates the complex appeal of sports. In vivid prose, it portrays the athlete as an artist, pursuing excellence outside the spotlight, debating how much of herself to devote to her craft.
Publicity for The Striker and the Clock:
Glory Plata | gplata@penguinrandomhouse.com
Out July 16, 2024. Available to order now