A review by donnaburtwistle
Away Running by Luc Bouchard, David Wright

5.0

This is a fantastic novel! Told from the two protagonists' POVs, Away Running tells the story of the 2005 spring season of competitive football in France. Determined to make his own decisions about his immediate future--separate from those of his highly motivated Montreal family--senior, Matthieu Dumas, takes off to Paris to join the Diables Rouges. Already known to some of the players through international football camps, Dumas finds himself as the only white player among the North African and Arab players from the Villeneuve neighbourhood of the team's clubhouse and practice field. Meanwhile, Freeman Behanzin, an African-American senior from San Antonio Texas, is on a school exchange and happens to catch a Diables Rouges practice. When he is offered a position on the team, he reconsiders the prospect of returning to his family who is coping with the recent death of his father, killed by an IED in Iraq.

The book follows team's season and the development of the very different members of the team into a unified group. However, the racial tensions in France interfere with and challenge Matt and Free's friendship and their connection to their teammates. Based on real events of 2005, the story unfolds in a smart and compelling fashion. I read this book in one sitting--awesome.