Run
Away by Harlan Coben proves
once again he is a master storyteller. The novel explores
how seemingly good parents could have a child go astray and
must face the nightmare that they may not be able to save
their child. The characters in this story must face the nagging
question, how many things could have been done differently
that might have helped sway the child toward a better path?
Coben stated, “I had a bunch of different thoughts in
my head: drug abuse, genealogy websites, and cults. It all
came together as I was sitting in Strawberry Fields in Central
Park. This is the exact same place as my protagonist Simon
was sitting when he spotted his daughter. I actually thought
then of the very first sentence in the book. There was a panhandler
singing and manhandling Beatle tunes. I thought, what if that
strung out singer was my lead character’s daughter who
he has not seen for a while. Here was his chance to rescue
her. This is how this novel starts.”
Parents, Wall Street financial advisor, Simon Greene, and
his pediatrician wife, Ingrid, thought they had everything
while raising their three children. But hardship hits them
when their college-aged daughter, Paige, turns to drugs and
has run away. Following a tip, Simon sees her playing guitar
in Central Park as a panhandler. As he tries to talk to her,
her enabler, dealer, and boyfriend interferes. Desperate to
catch her as she runs away Simon punches the boyfriend, Aaron,
all caught on cell phone videos. Fast-forward three months
where Simon and Ingrid find out that Aaron was brutally murdered.
Their search for Paige becomes frantic after finding out she
is still strung out and has been abused. They are now following
a trail fraught with danger, surprises, and secrets.
Both parents are devoted to their
family. They are vulnerable and full of guilt, unable to help
their oldest daughter. The feeling of failure allows the reader
to sympathize with the parents making them both relatable
and realistic.
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