Book Review

Ann Patchett is on her way to becoming one of my favorite novelists. This is dangerous because as soon as I start to really like a writer, the opportunity for disappointment goes up exponentially. Thankfully, her new novel Run was a completely satisfying read.

The story is about a family and the story is about politics but it does not contain the cliches and melodrama that the melding of those two subjects generally produce. My admiration for Patchett stems from her ability to take a seemingly simple premise and spin it into a powerful story. Her writing is so subtle that I read the whole thing without once rolling my eyes. (This is friggin rare, as you can imagine.)

The book is written about a man and his wife who adopt two African American brothers. The man is a former mayor of Boston who dreams of political careers for his two adopted sons as well as his older, biological child. His wife dies when the children are young and he is left to raise them alone. There is lots more but, for some reason, I can never deliver an effective plot synopsis without ruining the whole book. But,seriously, read it. You know I would never steer you wrong about books...or snack food.