Cas – short for Casper – refuses to live with his father. He lives with his aunt, Mel, in the same apartment complex as his friend, Rosa. As the narrative begins, Mel is trying to convince Cas that his father has changed and deserves a second chance. Mel’s arranged for Cas to spend time with him. Cas remembers only dysfunction fed by alcohol, resulting in abandonment. He still refuses. Nonetheless, Mel arranges for her ex to drive him there. When Cas escapes from the car and runs into a forest, his adventures begin.
Cas is a city boy – he’s soon very lost without the knowledge needed to keep himself safe. Luckily, he’s found by two sisters who’ve been living in the forest for years. Cas realises that the girls don’t want him to know anything about themselves – even their names. (Cas learns by accident that the older one is Pearl, and her younger sister is Viv.) They argue over whether to help him, in the end deciding to take him to a road that will lead him out of the forest.
Unfortunately, a landslide blocks their path and injures Cas’s arm. He’s taken back to their camp instead, meeting the girls’ father, Mack. He likes the presence of Cas even less than the sisters. The family teaches Cas about surviving in the bush. He also learns why this odd family is in hiding: Mack’s a whistleblower and charged with a crime he didn’t commit. Cas’s journey out of the forest is a roller-coaster and forever changes the life of Mack and his daughters.
Run is a terrific story about family relationships and being open to the possibilities of second chances.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
Age Guide 9+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHORWhen I was a child, my family didn’t have a television, so I read a book a day. Our expeditions to the local library were legendary! I remember my mum reading ‘Little Grey Men’ to me, a book first published in 1942 and which features gnomes living on the bank of an English stream. I still remember lying there, listening to her read, with the thrilling feeling of my imagination soaring. I get that same feeling today when I read a great kids’ book.
I went on to become a journalist at ABC Radio – where I won a Walkley Award – and a researcher/producer at ABC TV. That was exciting work – I interviewed lots of interesting people and travelled to places like Timbuktu in the Sahara Desert and a jellyfish lake on the Pacific island of Palau. But I’d always imagined writing a book one day.
So I resigned from the ABC, and moved to a rainforest valley in northern NSW – where it started raining the day I moved in and didn’t stop for four months. My first novel (for adults) unsurprisingly features lots of rain and mud! ‘Salt Rain’ was shortlisted for a few awards including the Miles Franklin Award.
I live on one acre near the town of Mullumbimby in northern NSW, with my partner Alan and our daughter Amelia. We grow some of our own fruit and vegetables, following the principles of permaculture. We have a dog, Louie – a much-loved, shaggy cavoodle-schnoodle – who likes to lie near me while I write.
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