Run - Ann Patchett

I often wonder if I could write or get all my thoughts down on paper who I would most want to sound like. I think the answer is Ann Patchett. Her previous books, Bel Canto, Truth and Beauty, The Patron Saint of Liars, and to a lesser extent, Taft have all completely captured me. They are straight-forward, but beautiful, with characters that you feel like you've known your whole life. Run is no different. This is the story of African-American brothers Tip and Teddy who were adopted as young children by Boston's Irish-Catholic mayor and his saintly wife, Bernadette. When Bernadette succumbs to cancer early on, the boys are left without their mother -- and a whole lot of sadness and loss. Years later, unable to fulfill his father's wish for him to go into politics, Tip is unexpectedly in an accident. Suddenly, the mayor's biological son is back, and ghosts from the past return to haunt Tip and Teddy. I felt like this book was just the first chapter in a very long story - Patchett could have written an entire novel on each of the characters. As a result, sometimes it feels like there is a bit too much going on, or places where I thought she would go or further explain are simply left unexplored. Race is certainly at the center of this novel and the relationship between this father and his sons - but while it is alluded to frequently, with numerous sterotypes introduced and ignored, in the end, the reader is left with so many questions about the character and motivations of these people. Yet, I did not feel cheated or dissatisfied when I finished the book. Perhaps because, again, it was like meeting people in real life - catching a quick glimpse of who they are, but left to wonder why and how they came to be. This would make a wonderful gift for all the readers on your Christmas list.