The Borrower: A Novel
The first novel from the acclaimed author of The Great Believers "Rarely is a first novel as smart and engaging and learned and funny and moving as The Borrower." --Richard Russo, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning Empire Falls
Lucy Hull, a children's librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, finds herself both kidnapper and kidnapped when her favorite patron, ten-year-old Ian Drake, runs away from home. Ian needs Lucy's help to smuggle books past his overbearing mother, who has enrolled Ian in weekly antigay classes. Desperate to save him from the Drakes, Lucy allows herself to be hijacked by Ian when she finds him camped out in the library after hours, and the odd pair embarks on a crazy road trip. But is it just Ian who is running away? And should Lucy be trying to save a boy from his own parents?
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Community Reviews
Content warning for kidnapping, stalking, homophobia, references to conversion "therapy" and related topics. I really liked the premise of this book and I thought Lucy's relationship with Ian was lovely. I just couldn't get into the book. It meanders quite a bit, with the emphasis on the theme more than the plot. It's worth noting that the 'good guy' is nuanced and has unlikeable moments, and there's something I couldn't get past about her lackad...read more
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