RUN

Run, Ann Patchett, HarperCollins Publishers, 2007, 295 pp

I do love this author. This is her latest novel and I read it in a day. Ann Patchett makes you believe that all you need is love and that no matter how flawed some people are, there is always a being there who is made of love.

In this story, a family in Boston consists of Bernadette, the mother; Doyle, the father; Sullivan, their natural son; and two black adopted brothers, Tip and Teddy. Doyle was once mayor of Boston and believes in politics. When they were unsuccessful at having more children, Bernadette, who only wanted to be a mother, convinced Doyle to adopt. But then she died and each of the remaining males had their own issues with this.

Enter Tennessee, a poor black woman and her daughter Kenya, who is 12 years old and a natural athlete who can run like the wind. Everything changes and I won't give it away. Some critics might say that there are a few too many improbable coincidences here. I say it is fiction, it might be a tall tale, but even real life is a series of unfortunate events punctuated by coincidence and unlikely connections between people.

I am glad there are authors who tell this tale.