Not to be confused with
The Borrowers *wink*
This woman,
Rebbeca Makkai, was either a librarian or she
really did her research! She thinks like a librarian- quoting from movies and books, making fun of Penguin Classics and Mr. Popper's Penguins, referencing movies like
Music Man with Marian the Librarian and
It's a Wonderful Life when George's wife turns maiden librarian in the world without him, and she even pokes at the type of shoes that librarians wear... this woman's got the stereotype down!
The Borrower is a story of a children's librarian, Lucy, who has a soft spot for a boy, Ian, from a strict family. One day he decides to run away, and in a sense the Ian kidnaps Lucy... but the police would see it more as she kidnapped him! As they drive, and drive, and drive some more, Lucy starts off thinking of it as a small adventure, like the ones she reads as she sits behind her desk in the Children's Center. But the more they drive, the more she realizes she likes sitting behind that desk... and now she can never go back to that life. A funny and thought-provoking story of ethics and morals. I was yelling at Lucy in my head for the last half of the book! And the question remains... who borrowed who?
What I Liked:
How the life of a Children's Librarian was depicted. So true- down to your legs itching from the material of the chair you sit in! Rebecca has a way of captivating your attention right from the beginning and holding it throughout the entire book. The relationship between Ian and Lucy is so natural, too. Seeing what parent's do to their kids and you want to help the kid out as much as you can in your way.
What I Didn't Like:
The sense that Lucy had no choice but to help the kid run away. The sense that it was OK to lie to everyone. The way Christianity is depicted as a group of people forcing their beliefs on you- though sadly many are that way. A funny book, but the morals and ethics are rather skewed. Makes you think and argue with Lucy in your head. Lucy pays for her crime in that she never goes back to work at that library, moves out of the city, and has to restart her life, but she never gets caught in her web of lies and doesn't truly repent of what it is that she's done.
Favorite Quote: (that isn't even from the book, it's from the acknowledgements!!!)
"Although I've had to demolish my childhood fantasy that
Penguin Books is somehow run by Mr. Popper's Penguins, I've happily replaced it with the knowledge that it is populated by wonderful people who were willing to arrange an editing and production schedule around the birth of my second child."
