This month’s book club was our annual holiday outing to Grants Restaurant in West Hartford. Although the place is really too loud to have a good discussion, especially this time of year, their desserts are so great it’s worth it!

Oh, yes, the book. This month we read Ann Patchett’s latest novel, Run. I was looking forward to reading this since I’ve loved her other books. I was not disappointed, although this is more sparely written than her other books. Although the set up for the plot seemed a bit contrived, and the sequence with the ghost just didn’t make sense, overall the interaction between the characters and the trajectory of the novel worked for me. Doyle naming his two adopted sons after Tip O’Neill and Teddy Kennedy, while silly, also reveals his desperation to fulfill his failed political aspirations through his son. Interestingly enough, the others in book group who enjoyed the book, like me, do not have children. The two members with (grown) children found the relationships between parents and children unbelievable and annoying. Wonder if this is a pattern among other readers.