Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson - 4 stars

[Joy D]

Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson - 4* - My Review

Run for the Hills is a tale of an unusual road trip conducted among half-siblings to find their common father, who had abandoned each of their families in sequence. The eldest is forty-four-year-old Reuben (called Rube), who knew his author/insurance agent dad as Charles Hill. He travels to Tennessee to find his half-sister, thirty-two-year-old Madeline (called Mad), who knew her farmer father as Chuck Hill. Rube tells Mad that they have (at least) two other half-siblings, and he is off to meet them and to find his father. They stop in Oklahoma to find their twenty-one-year-old college basketball star sister, Pep, and in Utah to find eleven-year-old Tom.

This book follows in the footsteps of Kevin Wilson’s other quirky books with eccentric characters. It is an entertaining story of broken families, and road trips that never work out quite as planned. There are elements of tenderness and humor. I particularly loved the dynamic of the youngest sibling, Tom, whose scenes are endearing. Wilson excels at portraying the different dynamics that age introduces, with Rube and Mad being able to handle more stressors than Pep and especially Tom, whom they feel a need to protect from some of life’s harsher realities. For all its warmth and humor, it also explores more serious topics such as abandonment, loneliness, mental health, and the deep-seated need for connection. I found this book moving and engrossing. If you enjoy stories of "found family" give this one a try.

PBT Note: This book is tagged "summer" x11.

[NancyJ]

I really liked it too. It makes me want to read more road trip novels, such as the new book by Annie Hartnett.

[Joy D]

I love road trip novels.