Rebecca Makkai’s The Borrower was on my list of books about books. And its cover was very pleasing to my eyes, so I wanted to give it a go. And I’m glad I read it. Although I wanted to skim some parts of it, I can say that I generally enjoyed it.
The story begins with Lucy Hull, who works in the children’s books section of the library. She finds herself kidnapping and also kidnapped by Ian Drake, her favourite regular. As she thinks of Ian’s terrible family and his love of reading, she cannot decide whether to get herself out of this situation. So begins an exciting road trip. I cannot say that it is an exquisite book, but it may be a perfect option if you need something light. Enjoy!
The Borrower
Lucy Hull, a young children’s librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, finds herself both kidnapper and kidnapped when her favourite patron, ten-year-old Ian Drake, runs away from home. The precocious Ian is addicted to reading, but needs Lucy’s help to smuggle books past his overbearing mother, who has enrolled Ian in weekly anti-gay classes. When Lucy finds Ian camped out in the library after hours with a backpack of provisions and an escape plan, she allows herself to be hijacked by him and the pair embark on a spontaneous road trip. But is it just Ian who is running away? And should Lucy really be trying to save a boy from his own parents?
Rebecca Makkai
Rebecca Makkai is an American novelist and short-story writer. Her first novel, The Borrower, was release in June 2011. It was a Booklist Top Ten Debut, an Indie Next pick, an O Magazine selection, and one of Chicago Magazine’s choices for best fiction of 2011. It was translate into seven languages.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
