[5] A former musician, sound engineer and film archivist, Coventry attended Hutt Valley High School from 1983 to 1986, has a BA in English literature and Religious studies (Victoria University of Wellington, 2000), an Honours Degree in English Literature (VUW, 2001) and a Masters in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters (VUW, 2010).
"[9] A review in Auckland's Metro Magazine said it was "A dream to read, in all senses of the word.... A trance-like account of the 1928 Tour de France .
The writing is fierce, a bravura mix of narcissism, masochism and lyricism grounded in the honesty of the unnamed rider's journey into his self and the dawning realisation that the race has become a grand metaphor for the trauma of World War I.
"[10] Brian Clearkin at Landfall wrote: "a brilliant tour de force of writing talent and style that richly rewards the reader.
[15] As a sound engineer he has produced works for the experimental groups Thela,[16] La Gloria and Empirical[17] The later pair as a contributing musician.