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jedbird 's review for:
The Borrower
by Rebecca Makkai
I read this after reading Ms. Makkai's THE GREAT BELIEVERS, which I loved, and which is a fundamentally different type of book from this one. A librarian more or less incidentally kidnaps a 10-year-old library patron she believes is being persecuted for potential gayness by his evangelical parents. They drive all over the country in her crappy car while having adventures of a sort.
I enjoyed everything that was in the book, but I missed what I'd expected based on the blurb: the librarian has no particular communion with the child beyond having recommended him books, and they never discuss her reason for absconding with him. She hints at it a time or two, but the kid is oblivious. Maybe that's absolutely right. The religious indoctrination the librarian sees as abuse is just going to church for the boy. But I found myself wanting more insight into the child, who was absolutely opaque. Maybe that was the point.
If you're interested in a story about a young librarian that has a lot of Russian cultural flavor slathered on top, this is a very entertaining story.
I enjoyed everything that was in the book, but I missed what I'd expected based on the blurb: the librarian has no particular communion with the child beyond having recommended him books, and they never discuss her reason for absconding with him. She hints at it a time or two, but the kid is oblivious. Maybe that's absolutely right. The religious indoctrination the librarian sees as abuse is just going to church for the boy. But I found myself wanting more insight into the child, who was absolutely opaque. Maybe that was the point.
If you're interested in a story about a young librarian that has a lot of Russian cultural flavor slathered on top, this is a very entertaining story.