The Runaway

by Jo Barney

Ellie is older, gruff and independent. She doesn't expect much from life; it’s broken enough promises to her. The only ugliness in the world Ellie can truly clean up is the graffiti marring mailboxes in her neighborhood, and she centers her days around this as one of the few acts that gives her a little peace. When a fifteen-year-old Goth girl appears offering to help, Ellie is surprised—and suspicious. Sarah has been shunted from house to house in the foster care system. Now she’s run away from a forest camp managed by a tyrannical, enigmatic man.... But escape is not that easy, and soon Sarah finds her life in danger. Can Sarah and Ellie put aside their differences to keep truly horrific danger at bay?

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

350 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 2012

Reviews

[Brandi Nyborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

How are a tough old woman, a runaway, a cop, and an abusive, controlling homeless man connected? You'll find out in this book. This book is fast paced, and will completely hold your attention the entire time. You can really connect emotionally with most of the characters. It can be a hard read at times, but will also make you shed a few tears. This is a great book!

[Mary Barrett · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

This was purely my reaction to: "Jeffery 1986-1991 " I worked the Juvenile section as a peace officer in a large city in Texas for 12 years. During that time I handled many runaway cases as well as sexual abuse cases against juveniles ( which usually involved Step-Fathers, Father's and once a Grandfather... Having had to deal with that I my career, there is no way that I can force myself to read about it in a book! This very well may be a well written book but as soon as I got to the incest I was revolted. Sorry, but I read for light entertainment and this is not in that category.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

[Jessyca Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought “The Runaway” by Jo Barney was a good book. The story follows the lives of several different characters all connected in some way. The two main ones are Ellie and Sarah. Ellie is a tough, older woman who is obsessed with cleaning graffiti. Sarah is a homeless, runaway teenager whose life is in danger. These two women must learn to trust each other in order to survive each other’s pasts.

When reading “The Runaway” the reader has to make sure to pay attention to the title and year of each chapter. Barney jumps from character to character and past to present with each chapter. Each character in this story has a purpose. Personally I love it when an author provides the backstory for each character. It helps me get to know the characters better and form some type of attachment to them. I really liked Sarah but felt her backstory was missing some pieces. However the thing I liked most about this story was that Barney talked about Autism and how it effects the parents. Barney’s words about what Matt and Marge went through hit home with me. I thought the plot of “The Runaway” was exciting and unique. It made the book hard to put down for me. I was never exactly sure what was going to happen next in the story. Nevertheless I enjoyed how the ending of the story turned out. Overall I am glad to have read this book. I will never look at graffiti quite the same. I also plan on finding out information on my local food bank and how to donate.
*I reviewed this book for Readers' Favorite

[Margaret Millmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the beginning of this tale, the author introduces you to a great many characters: a broken old woman, the old woman’s son, a lost young runaway, a policeman with an autistic son (whose wife/mother left them), a young male prostitute (also a runaway) and a few other miscellaneous characters…but how do they all tie together?

Ms. Barney weaves an intricate tale of desperation, loneliness, abuse and eventually salvation that takes the reader through the complicated, yet interwoven lives of several different people. There are struggles and horrors described in this novel that can be difficult to swallow, but unfortunately they are a reality in our society. Ms. Barney does an excellent job of building her characters (you love them, you hate them, you feel for them). I found this novel impossible to put down and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it.

I’ve read other books from this author, she has an uncanny knack of delving into emotional issues and portraying them vividly. I would highly recommend this story (spoiler: the author does not hold back on the horrors many of our runaway children and teenagers experience, so this is not for the faint of heart).

This book was provided to me for free for an honest and unbiased review (see all our reviews at http://www.bookexplosions.com/ or on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... )

[Laura Prime]

I found this book quite intricate but frustrating, I found myself having to go back chapters to understand what was going on.
A few things stuck with me though, like the loneliness and mixed up lives of all the characters. Wondering what they had in common and were they related.
I have never read a book with so many 1st person lead characters and it quite confused me.
That said the characters were strong and well established and I could picture each one.
The cleaning of the graffiti stuck with me too.

Thank you to Jo Barney for a copy of this for an honest review, I will look forward to reading more.

[Linda Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first few pages, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into; so many different, yet important, characters to keep track of. And then there was the story itself about a down and out old woman and a troubled young girl. Once I figured out who was who, and how they all fit together, I couldn’t put this book down. Jo Barney is a masterful story teller, but like no other I’ve ever read. She creates scenes of the rough, raw and gritty side of life and weaves them into other scenes so touching they bring tears to your eyes. This is truly a masterful piece of fiction that I’m going to recommend to everyone I know. I’m looking forward to reading more of Barney’s works.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Librarything for a free copy of The Runaway. I like Jo Barney's style of writing. This the second book of hers that I've read. Previously, I read Never Too Late and thought that this novel would be along the same lines. I wasn't prepared for the violence and sexual abuse that was vividly described. I had a hard time getting through this book for that reason. Although the writing and plot were good, I could only give it 2 stars.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barney delves into the lives of street kids. If you read superficially, you read a story of broken lives, serial murder, drugs and alcohol; but if you read analytically, you see what poor parenting, lack of leadership, and self denial can do to one's success. Barney writes from a basis of knowledge and research that should be taken seriously by innocent bystanders as well as City leaders.

[frumpburger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review book. Not exactly my cup o' tea, but well-written. I felt that trauma and drama and horror that existed in the lives of EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER was a bit heavy handed at times (nobody's life is perfect, but, damn, everyone in this book has SUFFERED), but overall it was well-written and has a nice moral of redemption.

[Dottie Gariti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different premise but a very quick read.

[Nancy Hilbrick]

Unusual characters; but lovable. I liked the format of the story, and a generally happy ending.