This is my second review in The Running Fiction Challenge. Of the first three books I sampled, this is the only one I finished, see other reviews at the bottom.
Review
Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron is historical fiction. The story takes place in Rwanda prior to the start of the Rwandan genocide in the 1990s. The main character and his family are Tutsi, an ethnic minority in Rwanda and Burundi.
I knew almost nothing about Rwanda and or the genocide before I started the book, so I was interested in learning more context about the region and conflict. I've looked up a few things already, and I'm enjoying the motivation to learn more about Africa and Rwanda.
I found the initial conflict to be too cliche. At the beginning of the story the protagonist seems to have it all, elite intellect and athleticism. Right off the bat, readers know something bad is about to happen. The first bad thing is the cliche part that I think the author should have cut. It's not needed. Readers will learn it and understand it just as well as back story. As a reader I thought this is going to be about the genocide when I saw the setting was Rwanda. Then the first main conflict in the story made me think, hmm maybe this isn't about the genocide. Then of course, it is about the genocide and the first cliche conflict was a distraction. Besides this nitpick of mine, the story flows well. It's a slower reveal for both the readers and main character. The first chapters are short and make for fast and easy reading.
*barely a spoiler* The running training make no sense. I'm not sure if the author knows too little about running, or if this is how coaches and runners in Africa trained in the 1990s. For example, the coach is having his runner run repeat races in practice!
Overall, the book didn't create emotional responses from reading the words and descriptions of the terrible events that took place. The events were summarized and felt more like reading a newspaper. All the emotions I felt were created by my imagination when I thought about the events myself. There was a lot of telling and little showing.
This telling over showing, felt appropriate. It is very much how the west sees Africa. It sucks that people are suffering unimaginable horrors, but I'm ready to read the sports or business section now. And this is how I feel. I want to look up more about the conflict, but I'm also ready for my next book.
Join the challenge below.
Most Popular Running Fiction Challenge
The following books are the most rated running fiction on goodreads.com, as of 6 July 2024. Goodreads readers can vote here for the best running fiction. The books are in order by total ratings. I've added more specific genres and brief spoiler free descriptions of each novel.
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*Forrest Gump by Winston Groom - historical running fiction. The novel isn't specifically focused on running throughout, but many chapters feature Forrest's physical running as important aspects of the narrative. (68,999 ratings)
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The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen - young adult running fiction. The story chronicles a high school 400m runner's physical and emotional journey of recovery and how running remains a central part of her life. (30,771 ratings)
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Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr. - running fiction. The novel is regarded as one of the most iconic novels about running. Its entire narrative is centered around the sport, both literally and metaphorically. Centering around the life of a competitive runner who vividly captures the intensity of training, the experience of racing, and the subculture of competitive running. (15,114 ratings)
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Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron - historical running fiction. A novel that centers around running, both as a literal sport and as a metaphor for survival, identity, and hope. The novel is set in Rwanda during the years leading up to and during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. (7,104 ratings)
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The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe - running fiction. Once again, running is a central role, both literally and metaphorically. The story explores themes of personal rebellion, social class, and individuality, with running serving as a powerful symbol for the protagonist’s inner life and resistance against societal expectations. (6,686 ratings)
* Novel might be demoted due to not being enough about running
Honorable Ineligible Mentions
- What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by novelist Haruki Murakami - memoir, not fiction. (171,386)
- The Running Man by Stephen King - dystopian fiction. There is a lot of running and some overlap between running qualities like endurance and stamina, but the sport or recreational activity of running is absent. The Running Man is really about survival, society, and oppression. (137, 820 ratings)
- The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker - dystopian fiction. Running plays a minor role both literally, but a larger key element of the story’s structure and themes metaphorically. And running makes for a good title, but it is not a "running novel" in the sense of being about the sport or activity of running. (14,848 ratings)
My Reviews
I'll be review each of the novels here on my blog. I'd love any and all feedback. Leave a comment. Here are reviews I've done so far:
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