The Borrower A Novel [Paperback]

The first novel from the acclaimed author ofThe Great Believers

Rarely is a first novel as smart and engaging and learned and funny and moving asThe Borrower. —Richard Russo, author of Pulitzer Prize–winningEmpire Falls

Lucy Hull, a children’s librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, finds herself both kidnapper and kidnapped when her favorite patron, ten-year-old Ian Drake, runs away from home. Ian needs Lucy’s help to smuggle books past his overbearing mother, who has enrolled Ian in weekly antigay classes. Desperate to save him from the Drakes, Lucy allows herself to be hijacked by Ian when she finds him camped out in the library after hours, and the odd pair embarks on a crazy road trip. But is it just Ian who is running away? And should Lucy be trying to save a boy from his own parents?

Rarely is a first novel as smart and engaging and learned and funny and moving asThe Borrower. Rebecca Makkai is a writer to watch, as sneakily ambitious as she is unpretentious. —Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize winning author ofThat Old Cape MagicandEmpire F

“An appealing, nonromantic love story about an unexpected pairing—and a surprisingly moving one.”—The New York Times

“This comical and touching book strikes a nice balance between literary artistry and gripping storytelling, and offers a contemporary take on the classic “journey of discovery.”…Right up to the book’s satisfying and well-plotted ending, Makkai shows us that even though the stories we are told as children are often fount to betray us as mere fantasy, there might still be some wisdom in the one of their most common and simple morals: Be true to yourself.”—The Daily Beast, Selected as one of 3 Must Read Novels

“Rebecca Makkai’sThe Borroweris full of books, libraries, cross-country hijlƒm