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caitgauthor's review
5.0
I’m just sitting here, gobsmacked. This novel is incredible. And though I absolutely loved Su Sokol’s, Cycling to Asylum, Run J Run will stay with me a very long time.
Writing characters with complex mental illnesses is often done poorly, using harmful tropes. Not so with this work. It is also heavily nuanced; the characters are anything but one dimensional, and the representation of a polyamorous relationship goes so much deeper. Sokol truly underscores the reality of what it’s like for partners to want to keep their loved one from suffering while not sacrificing the untamed nature of who he really is. Annie, Zak, and J are so believable in their interactions. I just found myself empathizing with each of their points of view and hoping for all three of them when things seemed hopeless.
Every scene is so richly crafted, every emotion palatable. I felt like I was right there, drawn into in every scene. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Writing characters with complex mental illnesses is often done poorly, using harmful tropes. Not so with this work. It is also heavily nuanced; the characters are anything but one dimensional, and the representation of a polyamorous relationship goes so much deeper. Sokol truly underscores the reality of what it’s like for partners to want to keep their loved one from suffering while not sacrificing the untamed nature of who he really is. Annie, Zak, and J are so believable in their interactions. I just found myself empathizing with each of their points of view and hoping for all three of them when things seemed hopeless.
Every scene is so richly crafted, every emotion palatable. I felt like I was right there, drawn into in every scene. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
megatsunami's review
4.0
Really good, if extremely intense, fiction exploring love and mental illness. It’s a little hard to know who to recommend this book to, though; don’t read it if you’re not okay with rough sex, suicidal behavior, and memories of severe abuse.
I appreciated the writing (this book was gripping and hard to put down), the characters (social-justice-living teachers and social workers! That’s my people), the exploration of how people’s personal and family histories play out in relationships, and the depictions of bisexuality and polyamory.
As a therapist, there was a lot to like in the depiction of mental illness and therapy, and also a lot to take issue with. I was SO relieved when the therapist finally showed up in the story and she was great, because the narrator was freaking me out with his attempts to solve his lover’s mental health problems.
There were a few over-the-top elements that I could have done without:
I appreciated the writing (this book was gripping and hard to put down), the characters (social-justice-living teachers and social workers! That’s my people), the exploration of how people’s personal and family histories play out in relationships, and the depictions of bisexuality and polyamory.
As a therapist, there was a lot to like in the depiction of mental illness and therapy, and also a lot to take issue with. I was SO relieved when the therapist finally showed up in the story and she was great, because the narrator was freaking me out with his attempts to solve his lover’s mental health problems.
Spoiler
However, I felt the narrative ultimately made it seem like some of his ideas were good ones, like digging into the mystery of his partner’s abusive childhood without his partner’s knowledge or consent - super shady - or hypnotizing his partner to figure out the truth about his past - the therapist told him not to, but he kept trying it! Also, the narrative gives the impression that recovering the memories of abuse healed Zak’s mental illness. So, this could be true for some, but also, accessing memories of abuse is often very triggering and would not likely make Zak feel so much better so quickly, and “solving the mystery” would not necessarily mean all his intense mood symptoms would go away.There were a few over-the-top elements that I could have done without:
Spoiler
the narrator’s lover having the same name as his dead brother was just a little too pat; and the final kidnapping scene was just a little too melodramatic for a plot that already had plenty of drama.Spoiler
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