The Runaway

I received a copy of THE RUN AWAY by Claire Wong from Lion Hudson Fiction via Kregel in exchange for an honest review.  I loved the sound of the description.  I am a sucker for “dark truths: and imagination.  It also takes place in a Welsh village and while studying my family tree, I discovered I had Welsh ancestors. 

Note: I was thinking this was an adult book, but it definitely seems more like young adult.  I think young adults would be interested in parts, and then other parts, in particular the village’s growth, would appeal more towards adults. 

While I did like the story, I didn’t love it.  I found it interesting to have the village be a point of view, but I kept wondering why no one when to get Rhiannon if they knew she was in the woods?  Maybe I missed something when I was reading?  I found some parts a little dry and I had to push myself to keep going.  There are some fast paced moments, but many were slow.  I wouldn’t say they were lyrical so much as…dense? 

I didn’t fully understand her reasoning for running away.  Yes, her home life was stressful, but in no way did it seem abusive.  Her need to run away (without an abusive home life) struck me as very childish.  It reminded me of MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.  He was younger than “almost 18.”  At 18, I would think she’d be thinking of different things than running away.

The book is interesting and I feel bad that I didn’t love it.