On a snowy night in Boston the son of Bernard Doyle, one-time mayor of Boston, is hit by a car and pushed from serious danger by a woman he does not know. The accident, which leaves Tip with a broken ankle and the woman in critical condition, sets in motion a series of events that set the scene for “Run,” a riveting novel by Ann Patchett.
Within the first 15 pages, readers are immersed in a tightly knit story that maintains a lightning pace. While a lengthy cast of characters and multiple subplots vie for attention, Patchett keeps her readers’ eyes on the prize.
A father and three sons provide a focal point for the multitiered story, though two women and an 11-year-
old girl shape the tale from beginning to end. With elements of a mystery, “Run” will keep readers glued to the page.
When Bernadette, a young wife and mother, dies four years after adopting a pair of young brothers, her husband, Doyle, is left to raise the family. A lawyer with political aspirations, Doyle dotes on two of his sons but falls short with the eldest child, who resembles his redheaded mother. Though Sullivan is the biological son, he becomes lost in the shuffle of aspirations and dreams that Doyle has for his two adopted boys.
Even the statue of the Virgin Mary, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Bernadette, sits in the younger boys’ room, watching over them. It provides the family with a constant reminder of the kind-hearted mother who lavished love on her sons.
The statue, which has a rich if somewhat haunted history, acts as a talisman of sorts and quietly represents the secrets that families keep.
A story with wide appeal, “Run” will prompt questions about race, life choices, inheritance and the way in which family ties bind. Told through multiple narrators, the novel touches on how the decisions people make can define their lives and how you know whether your choices were wise.
What motivates a woman to give up two children for adoption and, 19 years later, jump in front of a car to save one of their lives?
How does an 80-something Catholic priest come to the end of his life and realize that life itself may be the heaven for which so many lost souls pray?
“How wrongheaded it seemed now to think that the thrill of heartbeat and breath were just a stepping stone to something greater,” Father Sullivan thinks. “It would be possible to overlook just about anything if you were trained to constantly strain forward to see the power and the glory that was waiting up ahead. What a shame it would have been to miss God while waiting for him.”
“Run” covers – with a feather-light brush – heady issues of spirituality, love and reincarnation. Theft, love and loss ripple throughout. Its title foreshadows its characters’ inabilities to embrace their true natures. It also refers to a lithe girl who watches her own story unfold as she races beside it.
A fast, enjoyable read, “Run” fits nicely into Patchett’s list of four novels – including the 2001 hit “Bel Canto” – and one work of nonfiction. Her writing spans the gamut of emotions families share, the ones you are born into and those you create. Friendship is once again a motivating force in this 295-page novel, though it will not resonate until the end of the book, when one woman’s actions to do right by her friend illustrate how dangerous it is to accept anything at face value.
“Run” skimps on details that may nag at readers once the last page is turned. It could be argued, however, that a desire for more marks a well-written novel; one that jars readers from their own lives and into the minds and hearts of others.
Heather Grimshaw is a Denver-based freelance writer.
FICTION
Run
Ann Patchett
$25.95
