Running Toward Home

by Betty Jane Hegerat

Transferred between foster homes for most of his life, twelve year old Corey Brinkman has developed a bad habit of running away. His new foster parents, Wilma and Ben Howard, are determined to make their home his for life, but old habits are hard to break.

Wilma takes Corey to the Calgary Zoo for his annual visit with his birth mother, despite her discomfort about Tina Brinkman and the fever Corey is pretending not to have. When Corey goes missing at the zoo, his two mothers are forced into an uneasy truce in the search for their son.

"Running Toward Home "reveals the complex relationships surrounding a foster child, and the fine line between protection and standing in the way of life lessons. For twenty-four hours the Calgary Zoo becomes the entire world, and the lines between the nurturing instincts in animals and humans become blurred.

Genres: Canada

219 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Betty Jane Hegerat is the author of two novels, a collection of short stories, and her most recent book, The Boy (Oolichan 2011) which is a fusion of fiction, non-fiction, memoir and metafiction. She lives in Calgary, and teaches creative writing as well mentoring in various ways. Delivery (Oolichan, 2009) was a finalist for the George Bugnet fiction prize in the Alberta Book Awards. Juror's comment: "Domestic dysfunction never had it so good. This novel lactates with life."
The Boy was a finalist for the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell prize, shortlisted for the Alberta Book Awards non-fiction prize, and a finalist in the High Plains, Billings, Montana awards.
Betty Jane Hegerat was the 2015 recipient of the Writers Guild of Alberta Golden Pen Award for lifetime achievement as a writer.
A new book, Odd One Out, a novel for teens, will be released by Oolichan Books in spring 2016.

Reviews

[Donna]

Set in Calgary, teen book

[Maureen Bush]

A beautiful story by Calgary friend Betty Jane Hegerat.