The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai

The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai tells the story of Lucy Hull, a librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, who “kidnaps” Ian Drake and takes him on an adventure along the East Coast.  Ian is a precocious 10 year old who spends as much time as possible at the library.  His parents (mother, in particular) monitor his reading and so it is up to Lucy to slip him books on the sly.  One day, Lucy comes into the Library and discovers Ian hiding out, prepared to run away.  Although conflicted about what she should do, she decides to help him rather than take him home or call the police.

Lucy truly believes she is saving Ian from overbearing, homophobic parents who are willing to subdue their son’s nature out of fear that he might be a homosexual.  But what she finds is that not everything is what it seems…not in her life and not in Ian’s.  This book is far from perfect.  Lucy and Ian both annoyed me constantly and I couldn’t shake the feeling that a 26 year old woman traipsing around throughout the East Coast with a 10 year old boy who wasn’t her son was extremely creepy. 

The book’s saving grace comes from the many references to beloved books.  Pretty much every chapter begins with a reference or an allusion to a novel or picture book.  Some of my favorites include:

“If you give a librarian a closet, she will probably fill it with junk.

If she fills it with junk, some of the junk will be books in need of repair.

If some of the junk is books, and the closet is off of a back room anyway, she will hide more books there, books that she thinks are crap like the Stormy Sisters series, but which her boss thinks the library should keep.”  p. 56

It goes on for a few more paragraphs, but you get the gist.  Another great one was the “Choose Your Own Fiasco” chapter on page 157.  I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books as a child and thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing throughout the novel.

~ Linette