Friday, October 26, 2007

Run by Ann Patchett (2007)

I was so glad to see a new book out by Ann Patchett, and it was good. The book covered an intense 24 hour period, where we meet Bernard Doyle, a former major of Boston, and his two adopted black sons Tip and Teddy, at a speech by Jesse Jackson. After the speech Tip almost gets killed by a car, but a woman pushes him out of the way and gets the brunt of the impact. The way Patchett unveils the intertwined lives of these people, Doyle's other son Sullivan and the woman's daughter Kenya is fascinating. I listened to this on audio, and there was a short interview with the author at the end. It was interesting that Patchett thought the book was about politics, as she researched the Kennedy's for Doyle, but she said others thought the story was about family. I felt it was about the intense relationships between parents and children, the dreams we have for our kids, but how they have to find their own way. I am also amazed at how easily, but realistically she portrays interracial relationships. I hope we don't need to wait that long for the next Patchett book .

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