Run

I can't remember how long it's been since I cried at the end of a novel. Ann Patchett's RNN touched me in ways no other book has in quite awhile. I'm telling you true, this book is an emotional roller coaster written by a woman who knows her craft. I loved BEL CANTO, Ms. Patchett's blending of terrorism and opera. I love RUN even more, and that's almost not possible, but like in BEL CANTO, Ms. Patchett doesn't invite her readers into her fictional world, she grabs them by the heart and drags them in with her words. It is impossible not to love this book. Just impossible. I know this review is short, especially for me, who can be a bit long winded at times, but sometimes short is better and the long and the short of it is that this is a must read book. Really it is. Reviewed by Stephanie Sane

Ann Patchett explores twenty-four hours in the life of an upper middle class Boston family. Bernard Doyle, the former mayor of Boston, has been widowed and the effects of the loss of his wife hover over this story. Sullivan is the prodigal son who returns unexpectedly during a snowstorm, but it is not until the middle of the novel that the reader learns of the scandal that forced him to run to Africa and leave his father disgraced. Tip and Teddy are two African-American boys the Doyles adopted and the father unabashedly tries to lead them into politics. They are dragged to lecture after lecture, and it is after one such outing to hear Jesse Jackson speak that Tip is struck by an SUV. He most likely would have been killed had he not been pushed out of harm's way at the last second by a bystander who calls herself Tennessee. When she is rushed to the hospital, the Doyles are left to care for her eleven-year-old daughter Kenya for the night. Patchett gives the reader many issues to mull over---race, class, politics--but it is family that cements all the issues she presents, family that binds disparate personalities and makes their essential differences a beautiful blending. Tip and Teddy are the heart of this story, the two blood brothers bound by shared parentage yet each finding his own path while hoping not to be crushed by the heavy mantel of their father's expectations. This is a moving story of an intense father, his biological son he is estranged from, his adopted sons in whom he sees his own future, and the young girl who comes unexpectedly and unbidden into their lives. It is a story of family and the secrets we discover and the ones best left hidden.

(Review by Bob's wife, Kathy) Excellent book! The characters are interesting and captivating...and haunting. Do you remember reading a book and then years later it still haunts you? I can already tell that "Run" is that kind of book for me. I started it about 5 days ago (reading time is hard to find right now) and I have thought about it constantly. I finished it about an hour ago and plan to spend this afternoon pondering what I've learned from it. What is it about? Well, the story can't be summed up in a few words. It's about family. About a journey. About love. About the ties that bind - both genetic and familial. About life. And death. About sacrifice and selfishness. I promise you, this is a book that won't disappoint. You'll read it, then think through which friend you should share it with first. I plan to send it to my Granny, who is in her 80's. When she is done, she can pass it to my sister, in her late 30's, and then to my mom, who is somewhere in the middle. The appeal of the story, imo, crosses generations and gives us all something to ponder. I"m sorry to be so vague. But really, describing the story does not give it justice. You have to experience the journey, their lives, for yourself. 2 brothers. 2 mothers. 1 father. An older brother. A younger sister. Some related by blood, some by adoption. But all of them find their lives interwoven together and somehow dependent on one another - whether they want to admit it or not. I would categorize this novel as "drama", but unlike many dramas, you don't feel like it's one big sob story after another. In so many books I read I get tired of the characters whining and acting like they are always on the verge of the next downfall. Like they have a worse life than anyone else they know. No, RUN is a book that is ultimately about love, hope, and the humanity that is within all of us. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Run is the latest novel from the pen of Ann Patchett, the acclaimed author of Bel Canto. It is the story of an unusual Boston family. Bernard Doyle is a former Mayor of that city. He is a widower, his wife Bernadette having died of cancer some years before. He has three sons: Sullivan, the eldest and two adopted sons, Tip and Teddy. Tip and Teddy are biological brothers and they are black. It is their story that is most rivetting and provides much of this novel's essence and consequence. For the two young men, 21 and 20 respectively, are profoundly different. Tip is drawn towards science, Teddy towards religion. But there is much more at stake here. Patchett creates a beautifully detailed snapshot of America at the beginning of a new century. And through interactions whose randomness and emotional complexity these characters do not fully comprehend, some powerful and despairing truths regarding race, class, politics and faith are uncovered. Patchett's glistening prose reminds me of a jeweler studying a diamond with steely precision and a cool, clear radiance that reveals every facet and flaw. Her elegant prose is strongly reminiscent of another writer: James Joyce in his seminal story The Dead, perhaps the finest short story ever written. Even the technique seems similar. Here is spare, limpid prose laying bare the deepest recesses of the human heart. Here are the dead and the absent forever impacting the lives of the living and damaged. It struck me that Patchett has thoroughly absorbed Joyce's technique. This is high praise indeed, but impossible to prove. Or so I thought until Teddy quotes several sentences from the famous ending of The Dead. With some vindication, I think I can safely claim that Ann Patchett has used Joyce as her model. It is an indication of the artistry of this fine writer that she has done so successfully. This is a brilliant novel, filled with truth and deep feeling. Her artistry is quiet, never calling attention to itself. But artistry it is. You won't forget this book. My strongest possible recommendation for Run. Mike Birman