This is a haunting story of three orphan kids living in war ravaged Laos. Written with a sure and delicate hand that both cuts deep and soothes across their lives. ( )

Paul Yoon has such a beautiful voice and perspective in every book. This story of war and friendship is no different in that respect. It does lean a little more heavily on narrative which is not his strongest point, but as reflections and examinations it's really good. ( )

Run Me to Earth by Paul Yoon is the story of three teen-aged children who have known nothing but war their whole lives. Alisak, along with brother and sister Prany and Noi are orphans who are alive through their own cunning and abilities. From 1964 to 1973 the tiny country of Laos became the most heavily bombed country per capita as estimated2 million tons of ordnance was dropped by the U.S. Air Force.

Through a series of interwoven short stories the author tells the story of these orphans and their fight for survival. Opening in 1969, the children have taken refuge in a makeshift hospital, they assist the staff and act as couriers for a small salary and shelter. The hospital is surrounded by land mines and many patients are blown to bits as they try to make their way to the hospital. As the bombing comes ever closer the hospital is evacuated. In the rush to escape, the three children become separated. Throughout the multiple narratives we learn the fate of each child and what the future held for them.

Run Me To Earth is a story of war and the trauma it leaves in it’s wake. Powerful and intense the author has produced a descriptive and layered novel that defines the various directions a displaced person’s life can take. My only quibble with this book was that the frequent jumps in time and the many POVs expressed became a little confusing at times. ( )

The setting for this novel (mostly taking place in war-torn Laos) is incredibly horrifying and tragic -- so much so that it overshadowed the plot a bit for me, particularly the post-war portion of the story. ( )

Run Me to Earth by Paul Yoon (5 stars)

Laos in the 1960s is in the throes of civil war and is under heavy aerial bombardment by the USA.
Alisak, Prany and Noi have lost their parents and are surviving by whatever means they can. By
1969 where the novel opens, the three teenagers are running dangerous missions across fields of
bombs, collecting medical supplies, the injured, food, messages, for a makeshift hospital set up in
a remote farmhouse.

I finished this book with an ache in my heart. We’re so familiar with the history of neighbouring
Vietnam but I had no idea of the desperate and dark history of 1960s and 1970s Laos. Paul Yoon
has a lightness of touch which conveys fear and hope, compassion and brutality, the bonds and
friendship and the ties of war. This is a novel I will remember. ( )