Rufolo Reviews: On the Run by Michael Coleman
Man, if sports programmes were as emotionally involving as this sports book, I'd be really on top of the athletics!
YA author Michael Coleman was nominated for the Carnegie Award when his intense and psychological novel "Weirdo's War" got right inside the mind of a young introverted mathematician and he's done it again, this time with youth offender Luke Reid.
On the Run is about a young thief who gets involved in a robbery with two older gang members, but he botches the job to save a blind girl from getting hit by a car and injures her father in trying to escape. Standing before the magistrates, he learns that she was training with her dad to run in the London Marathon and is sentenced to community service helping the disabled at the sports centre and becoming her guide runner in the race.
A story as personal as this is bound to be strong on character and Luke's journey is one of the best I've ever read. Despite his severe flaws and quite disgusting behaviour, his bad background, acts of bravery and words of kindness really make you feel for him and he becomes such a better person over the course of the story.
As good as Luke is, it's the blind girl who steals the show. Jodi is just such a likeable and admirable character. She's just got so much energy and this selfless determination and it's really nice to see her relationship with Luke develop.
Her father is brilliantly written as well; he's so cruel and unforgiving towards Luke and you really dislike him even though he's completely understandable, but he too changes as the story goes on.
The writing really gets you immersed in the running. I'm not a proper sporty person, but I just felt really into it and fancied giving it a go myself.
There are two main problems with this book. The first is relatively minor for any book and that's a few bits of dialogue. The villains in this book are two gangsters respected on Luke's estate who he looks up to. Some of the stuff they say when trying to manipulate him feels a little forced. I think Coleman or his editor was clearly trying to avoid using any swearwords, but worked their way round them a little clumsily.
Then, although the climax is totally exhilarating there's the ending - it's not "Run Fat Boy Run" unrealistic, but if you read it you might see what I mean.
However, as I've said in previous reviews, a disappointing ending doesn't always ruin an entire book for me. This one is definitely well worth a read.
The writing really gets you immersed in the running. I'm not a proper sporty person, but I just felt really into it and fancied giving it a go myself.
There are two main problems with this book. The first is relatively minor for any book and that's a few bits of dialogue. The villains in this book are two gangsters respected on Luke's estate who he looks up to. Some of the stuff they say when trying to manipulate him feels a little forced. I think Coleman or his editor was clearly trying to avoid using any swearwords, but worked their way round them a little clumsily.
Then, although the climax is totally exhilarating there's the ending - it's not "Run Fat Boy Run" unrealistic, but if you read it you might see what I mean.
However, as I've said in previous reviews, a disappointing ending doesn't always ruin an entire book for me. This one is definitely well worth a read.
