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"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?
“An appealing, nonromantic love story about an unexpected pairing—and a surprisingly moving one.”
“A lively, lovely read that delicately weaves together social activism, literary culture and the quintessential road trip motif into a single solid adventure tale…Reading The Borrower is like taking a blissfully nostalgic journey into the bookshelves of American childhood.”—WSJ.com
“A wise and likable tale about the difficulty of protecting a precocious imagination.”
“Poignant...every conflicted word Lucy utters in Makkai’s probing novel reminds us that literature matters because it helps us discover ourselves while exploring the worlds of others.”
“In the hilariously off-kilter world Makkai creates, it makes perfect sense that 26-year-old children’s librarian Lucy Hull and her favorite reading-obsessed patron, 10-year-old Ian Drake, should ‘kidnap’ each other and take a loopy road trip. Clever riffs on classic kid lit pepper the sparkling prose, making this first novel a captivating read.”
A children's librarian in Hannibal, Mo., finds herself on a long, strange trip in Makkai's ruminative first novel.
Lucy Hull feels sorry for Ian Drake, the most devoted attendee of her read-aloud on Friday afternoons. Ian's reading is severely circumscribed by his mother's fundamentalist strictures, which rule out everything from Roald Dahl to Harry Potter. Lucy is further appalled when she learns that Ian—whom everyone assumes is gay, though he's only 10—is forced to attend weekly classes with Pastor Bob, who specializes in rehabilitating "sexually confused brothers and sisters in Christ." So when Lucy finds Ian hiding in the library one morning with a knapsack, she decides to help him run away. They wind up on a meandering journey that passes through her parents' home in Chicago, where Lucy picks up some cash from her father, an affluent Russian immigrant with vaguely unsavory business ties. En route to Vermont, where Ian claims his grandmother lives, Lucy tries to figure out how she got herself into this mess and how she can avoid being arrested as a kidnapper. Makkai takes several risks in her sharp, often witty text, replete with echoes of children's classics fromGoodnight Moon toThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,as well as more ominous references toLolita.Lucy and Ian don't bond in the warm and fuzzy way of Hollywood movies, and there's no big payoff where he recognizes and renounces his mother's bigoted ways. He remains a smart, difficult kid whose inner thoughts are opaque. This is Lucy's story, and we have known from the opening pages that her road trip will shake her loose from Hannibal; the interest comes from discovering how and why. The novel bogs down for a long time in the middle with an excess of plot, but the moving final chapters affirm the power of books to change people's lives even as they acknowledge the unbreakable bonds of home and family.
Smart, literate and refreshingly unsentimental.
LaurenSleigh
Posted June 17, 2011
It's too bad B and N has up only the Publishers Weekly review for this book, which is the only somewhat negative review I've seen (I researched before pitching to my club which reads new hardcover fiction the month it comes out). This book is hard to describe, but marvelous. It's about a children's librarian, and it has some of those same fantastical elements, larger than life characters, and the fast pace you would remember from the children's books you loved, but this is definitely for adults or teenagers at the youngest. There's a sort of "kidnapping" involved which is not really a kidnapping at all, and you could debate for weeks what actually happened. This is actually one of the things I think makes it a great pick for book clubs, and I imagine when it comes out in paperback a lot more clubs will be picking it. My club will read it next month and I'm sure it will stir a lot of debate, in a good way. Really this was a fast read, and I stayed up till 2 one morning to finish it, which is saying a lot (for me).
16 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.PHMMD
Posted June 11, 2011
This is one of those books that really sticks with you. If you are a voracious reader, as I am, or if you have young children, as I do, you will catch (and be able to place) many of the literary references that the author includes in the book. Those make the book more interesting, but catching them is certainly not required to appreciate the novel's meaning or, certainly, to enjoy it. They just, in my opinion, make the ride more worthwhile.
References aside, this is a fabulous book. It's relentlessly engrossing, but it's not your typical summer "beach read". It's so much more than that. It's a book lover's book in the best possible way, and not just because of the literary references. It's one of the first books I've read in a long time that I literally haven't been able to put down. And now that I've finished it, I wish I had read it more slowly so that I could still be enjoying it.
A unique and very interesting plot, relatable and entertaining characters, and a plethora of "morals of the story". All spun together by someone who clearly has a way with words; Makkai is a fabulous storyteller, and I eagerly await her next work. Read this book now. You won't regret it.
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bookhoarder
Posted June 17, 2011
Seriously, I bought five copies. I got this myself on my Nook, and then I bought four more copies for friends (three LGB friends who I thought would feel a kinship with one of the main characters, and one for my mother-in-law, who's a librarian like the other main character). It's truly a book for book-lovers, in the sense that it will take you back to what you first loved about books when you were a kid visiting your local library. The boy in the book, Ian, is ten and probably will be gay, and his parents are putting him in religious reprogramming with a celebrity pastor. It's really funny and well told, and I cared so much about what would happen to Ian by the end of the book. Totally a page turner, and so highly recommended.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Rebecca Makkai's first novel is an intriguing and very engaging road trip story, owing equally to Lolita and Huckleberry Finn, with assistance from nearly every notable children's and YA book of the last century or so. On the surface this appears to be a story about a young, liberal English major-turned-librarian trying to help out a kid she perceives to be in trouble. Upon deeper inspection, though, you'll see a self-aware, unreliable narrator trying to fit the messiness of reality into the tidy confines of a story. It's a book about running away and growing up, about who we are and what we can change about ourselves, about youthful ideals and adult realities. It's really a pretty big effort, and I think Ms. Makkai succeeds admirably.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I did not really enjoy this book but I always finish a story once I start it even if I'm not thrilled or don't like it. That being said, I gave it 3 stars for originality although the premise is so far fetched it was totally unbelievable; a Librarian who is pretty much unhappy in her present-and past-life who kidnaps-but not really-one of her child patrons and gets away with it, totally! I did enjoy the literary blurbs, having recognized all of them. At times it was amusing with an underlying moral of acceptance. I would not recommend this one to anyone I know.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 25, 2012
The action of the book was really slow in places and I found myself wishing something would happen.
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Posted March 20, 2012
Perfect story for a middle school teacher! I've taught Ian Drake!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MrsO
Posted March 20, 2012
I overall enjoyed the book, but glad I got it from the library and didn't purchase it. I too was so worried about how it might end that I guess I didn't appreciate alot of the adventure and lessons learned throughout the story. It was just okay.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Young Ian is ceaselessly borrowing books from the library. Novice librarian Lucy develops a sort of maternal or sororal affection for him and winds up borrowing him for a road trip. Or does Ian borrow her? It's a dual coming of age story. Ian and Lucy learn (or perhaps Lucy relearns) that our elders don't always have the answers and that life is a continuing journey of self-discovery. Rebecca Makkai blends nostalgia for youth and children's literature with big questions about identity and family. The Borrower turns out to be an uplifting novel filled with humor, suspense and characters I'd love to spend a day with.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Plume_de_nom
Posted December 4, 2011
This book literally had me laughing and crying. It is a wonderful and quirky story of a young woman and adolescent boy both coming of age, using their resources and good nature to defy convention in ways that work for them. It should be on more shelves.
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Posted September 12, 2011
Just reminds me how important reading is for young kids these days. Sweet story.
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Posted September 11, 2011
This story was a bit like a train wreck. You knew what was going on wasn't quite right, but you couldn't stop reading. The characters were very interesting. I was afraid of the ending, but was pleasently surprised. This was a good book, not great, but definately one you should read; very thought provoking.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.3.5 stars Children's librarian Lucy just can't figure out her young patron, Ian Drake. The ten-year-old seems to long for attention and is eager to read more books than most children his age are interested in, yet Lucy senses something is just not right. His parents are righteous Christians who won't allow Ian to read certain authors or books; the ingenious boy manages to slip a few forbidden books into his backpack or down the front of his pants anyway. After Lucy discovers that Ian has hidden overnight in the library, the two embark on a journey in her car. Lucy justifies the trip as keeping Ian safe from who-know-what is going on at home; she also seems to be filling a void in her life. The adventure is fun but far-fetched; who would take a child she barely knows (kidnap him) in such a manner? I did enjoy the book, though.
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Posted August 24, 2011
The Borrower reminds us that our children do not belong to us. They are only on loan for a short while and we can respect their individuality and appreciate their beauty by allowing them to show us who they are. Rebecca Makkai lets us feel the anxiety of breaking the rules and none of the consequences. Serious issues, serious fun.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The Borrower features great characters in a wonderfully written story about a librarian and a 10 year boy who find themselves in an unexpected situation. You do have to initially suspend some belief as a reader to allow for the fact they end up in the situation they are in. But as you get caught up learning about the characters through the great writing in this book, it is an easy leap of faith to make. I couldn't put it down and was disappointed to see the story come to an end.
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Posted August 5, 2011
It is rare that I agree with a Publishers Weekly review, however PW was right on the money with this one. I became frustrated with the extraneous writing. The story is fun. Lucy the librarian is a bit annoying at times. Overall, an entertaining read. Good, but not great.
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Posted July 22, 2011
Wow! Quick, ambling journey through a charecter's mind. Perhaps more notable for the quality of writing than the story itself, but definately worth the read.
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Posted August 2, 2011
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Posted July 19, 2011
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Posted September 12, 2011
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Overview
"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 ...