A fabulous debut novel about the stories we read and the ones we tell ourselves
Rebecca Makkai's stories have appeared in journals including Ploughshares, New England Review and The Threepenny Review, and on NPR's Selected Shorts. They have additionally appeared in The Best American Short Stories 2008 (ed- Salman Rushdie) and The Best American Short Stories 2009 (ed- Alice Sebold), Best American Nonrequired Reading 2009 and a story is forthcoming in Best American Short Stories 2010 (editor, Richard Russo). A couple of writers have already commented on Rebecca's short fiction- Kevin Brockmeier, author of The Truth About Celia and The Brief History of the Dead- "I can think of few writers (and none of her generation) whose stories I anticipate with more excitement than Rebecca Makkai's." And David Huddle, author of The Story of a Million Years and La Tour Dreams of the Wolf Girl- "A magician of a writer, Rebecca Makkai produces stories that are miracles of invention. Such is her modesty and grace that it's only after we've taken our pleasure from her writing that we realize what a formidable talent she possesses." b> akkai is an elementary school teacher, she lives north
"The Borrower's out and out charm is heightened by its furious,
righteous heart and conviction that books offer salvation and hope
when life is messy and near-unbearable"
*Marie Claire*
"Makkai takes several risks in her sharp, often witty text, replete
with echoes of children's classics from Goodnight Moon to The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as well as more ominous references to
Lolita...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."
*Kirkus*
"Rarely is a first novel as smart and engaging and learned and
funny and moving as The Borrower."
*Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning and bestselling author of
That Old Cape Magic and Empire Falls*
"Rebecca Makkai takes all the best features of the children's books
her characters love and sweeps them straight into her first novel:
their warmth, their vibrancy, their joy at setting their inventions
in motion and following them wherever they might lead. She is a
generous, original, and arresting writer, and any story she wants
to tell, I want to listen."
*Kevin Brockmeier*
"She's a great writer...a wonderfully entertaining story packed
with moral conundrums and beautiful writing"
*The Bookseller*
Makkai shows promise in her overworked debut, an occasionally funny crime farce about a hapless librarian-cum-accidental kidnapper. Lucy Hull is a 26-year-old whose rebellion against her wealthy Russian mafia parents has taken the form of her accepting a children's librarian job in smalltown Missouri. After an unnecessarily long-winded first act, the novel picks up when Lucy discovers her favorite library regular, 10-year-old Ian Drake, hiding out in the stacks one morning after having run away from his evangelical Christian parents, who censor his book choices and are pre-emptively sending him to SSAD (Same-Sex Attraction Disorder) rehab, and Lucy soon aids and abets his escape. The tale of their subsequent jaunt across several state lines dodging cops, a persistent suitor of Lucy's, and a suspicious black-haired pursuer is fast-paced, suspenseful, and thoroughly enjoyable-the real meat of the book. Unfortunately, the padding around the adventure too often feels like preaching to the choir (censorship is bad, libraries and independent booksellers are good) and the frequent references to children's books-including a "choose-your-own adventure" interlude-quickly go from cute to irritating. There's great potential, but it's buried in unfortunate fluff. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Armed with a degree in English and without any formal library education, Lucy Hull supervises the children's room at Missouri's Hannibal Public Library. Despite her lack of credentials (everyone refers to her as the children's librarian), there's plenty of trouble in River City headed her way. Enter Ian Drake, an inquisitive 10-year-old who reads voraciously and enthusiastically participates in Lucy's old-fashioned programming, which seems to consist exclusively of story and craft hours. His mother, a Christian Fundamentalist, knows precisely what Ian should read: books with "the breath of God in them." But clever Ian knows how to get around his mother's dictates: he finds refuge in the library stacks. Add to this mix the possibility that Ian is gay; his parents have enrolled him in weekly antigay classes with celebrity Pastor Bob. Convinced that Ian's parents are stifling his intellect and identity, Lucy finds herself increasingly drawn to the boy. Makkai carefully builds the backstory, so that when Ian runs away from home, readers have to make only a small leap to understand that Lucy will aid his escape. Through smart thematic connections, references to children's books appear naturally, making way for a forceful concluding message that reading has an enduring presence and power in our lives. Betty Carter is a former reading teacher, middle school librarian, and professor of children's and young adult literature. She now reviews for The Horn Book. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
"The Borrower's out and out charm is heightened by its furious,
righteous heart and conviction that books offer salvation and hope
when life is messy and near-unbearable" * Marie Claire *
"Makkai takes several risks in her sharp, often witty text, replete
with echoes of children's classics from Goodnight Moon to The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as well as more ominous references to
Lolita...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." * Kirkus *
"Rarely is a first novel as smart and engaging and learned and
funny and moving as The Borrower." -- Richard Russo, Pulitzer
Prize-winning and bestselling author of That Old Cape Magic and
Empire Falls
"Rebecca Makkai takes all the best features of the children's books
her characters love and sweeps them straight into her first novel:
their warmth, their vibrancy, their joy at setting their inventions
in motion and following them wherever they might lead. She is a
generous, original, and arresting writer, and any story she wants
to tell, I want to listen." -- Kevin Brockmeier
"She's a great writer...a wonderfully entertaining story packed
with moral conundrums and beautiful writing" -- Patrick Neale,
Jaffe & Neal Bookshops * The Bookseller *
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