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Someone to Run With (2000)

by David Grossman

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
6602034,715 (4.07)36
Earnest, awkward and painfully shy, sixteen year old Asaf is having the worst summer of his life. With his big sister gone and his best friend suddenly the most popular kid in their class, Asaf spends his days at a lowly summer job in Jerusalem City Hall and his evenings alone, watching television and playing games on the Internet. One morning, Asaf's routine is interrupted by an absurd assignment- to find the owner of a stray yellow Labrador. Meanwhile on the other side of the city, Tamar, a talented singer with a lonely, tempestuous soul, undertakes an equally unpromising mission- to rescue a young drug addict from the Jerusalem underworld... and eventually, to find her dog. Grossman's most popular work to date, a bestseller hailed by the Israeli press for its mixture of fairy-tale magic, emotional sensitivity, and gritty realism, Someone to Run With explores the life of Israeli street kids and the anxieties of family life in a society racked by self-doubt. But most of all, Grossman evokes the adventure of adolescence and the discovery of love, as Tamar and Asaf, pushed beyond the limits of childhood, find the objects of their quests, find themselves, and find each other.… (more)
  1. 10
    The Blue Mountain by Meir Shalev (bookmomo)
    bookmomo: Emits the same warm glow in the writing, the landscapes, the people... Subject matter is different!
  2. 10
    Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda (bookmomo)
    bookmomo: Both novels deal with two complex people finding love while overcoming hardships, with lovely odd support characters.
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» See also 36 mentions

English (13)  Dutch (3)  Italian (2)  Swedish (1)  Hebrew (1)  All languages (20)
Showing 1-5 of 13 (next | show all)
Said to be the most popular novel by prize-winning politically active Israeli author of The Yellow Wind and To the End of the Land. I thought it had a young adult/date movie quality and faded out during the direct discussions of the characters' emotional states. It has a dog in it, and I recommended it highly to my wife and daughter. ( )
  markm2315 | Jul 1, 2023 |
It is very rare for me to recommend books that I can read in my original language and also recommend here (because these books have translated into English). The truth is that it is unfortunate that Hebrew books rarely translated into English. The variety of Hebrew works is impressive, and the perspective of writers from such different cultures gathered in one small place may be of interest to readers who are not familiar with this mixed culture but only in what heard on the news, Yet, I'm not interested in politics, just good books that present a well-written story.
And like so few books that had translated into English, Such is "someone to run with" a book by David Grossman.

But then again, after I finish reading, I always find the excuse why not write a review. Perhaps I am afraid that others will not like it or that in any way this will spill over into a cultural or political debate.
Or maybe I'm afraid you will not listen to what the book has to say, or my opinion of it. And now you will probably tell yourself "Gee, she is full of nonsense," but the truth is that there are very few people who know how to listen. Not just to hear, but to attend with the absolute concentration to understand the other side. In focus and without even asking questions or expressing any other interest in the conversation. These special people rarely sit in front of you, looking deep into your eyes, and suddenly the words pour out of you, because you know they're there for you alone. And you tell them things, even things that you didn't plan to say. Also when the conversation becomes one's monologue - yours, these rare listeners do not let you feel that something is wrong.
On the contrary - they will continue to listen. At the end of a conversation with such a person, you feel incredibly grateful and relieved.
Such is Assaf, one of the two heroes of Grossman's book.
Assaf is not a very pretty boy; he lives on the margins of the social society in the city of Jerusalem. But Assaf has a special talent; he listens like no one else knows. During the plot of the book, Assaf encounters completely strangers who within minutes tell him about their lives. With an infinite tenderness that he is not even aware of, Assaf steers the conversation, asks questions, but gives the speaker the lead.

The book deals with youth who are in a period of change, and it also deals with Assaf and Tamar as youth symbolizes. And there is also Dinka, their dog. Dinka found abandoned. One day Assaf is asked to locate the owner of the dog. Assaf takes Dinka and trusts that somehow it will find her way to it's owners. At the same time, Tamar is planning a rescue operation, and a short time before, she is losing her dog. Asaf's search journey leads him to Tamar, whose details are revealed in the book as the plot progresses. Tamar is a complex and challenging girl, and I found in many of her ideas an echo of my thoughts, my deepest secrets, and fears. Anyway, I'd rather leave the rest of the story shrouded in fog and avoided unnecessary spoilers. Other than that I say only that the book draws the reader from the first page and does not let go. On the face of it, this is a thriller, yet it is a book about young people undergoing crises and nothing discourages them. This book is about young people who dare to do things that as adults they wouldn't have thoughts of doing.

This book has some parallel lines, including the main heroes, as well as the familiar, visible world, which is present in contrast to the shadow world of street living.

The heroes in this story are unique human, just like in all of Grossman's works They can exist everywhere in the real world.

In conclusion, this book is wonderful in its little things. This is not just the plot but mainly it's characters. This is a wonderful reading of a wonderful book. ( )
  mazalbracha | Jan 12, 2019 |
Beautiful writing, fascinating characters, fast paced and thrilling. This book was a different read for me, in some ways too real -an unlikely runway girl living on the streets- hard to read for a mother of daughters- in other ways magical realism and major coincidences abound...you just have to go with it, let the story unfold, meet the characters, learn their stories and follow their journeys. Very rewarding read! ( )
  Rdra1962 | Aug 1, 2018 |
bello, quando voglio fare un regale e voglio andare sul sicuro regalo questo libro ( )
  SirJo | Sep 4, 2017 |
An amazing book. Three phenomenal characters who are pushed out of their comfort zones each by different but arduous challenges. They are motivated by love and selflessness in stark contrast to the manipulative and threatening environment around them.

Grossman doesn't stop with a main plot. He embellishes it by adding more depth and realism to these heroes by constructing worlds of their pasts, thoughts and feelings. Its as though his imagination can't stop with just one unique story but needs to pour out in multiple stories. This wonderful imagination combined with strong writing make for captivating, exciting and moving reading. ( )
  Bookish59 | Aug 11, 2017 |
Showing 1-5 of 13 (next | show all)
Einmal mehr ist es Grossman gelungen, die enge Verbindung von Magie und Wirklichkeit zu zeigen. Als wollte er mit jedem neuen Buch beweisen, dass das Faszinierendste für den Menschen die Begegnung mit dem anderen ist. Unübertroffen die Schilderung einer Annäherung von Personen, noch bevor sie sich kennen. Großartig, wie der Autor Spuren legt und Zeichen setzt, nach denen die Figuren sich richten, ohne es zu merken. Die Luft, die sie atmen, ist angereichert mit Bedeutung, die ganz und gar nichts Belehrendes hat, sondern aus purer, unvermischter Lebendigkeit besteht. Ein Künstler-, Kriminal- und Liebesroman von bestechender Sogkraft. Man wünscht seinen Kindern, eine solche Liebesgeschichte und ein derart spannendes Abenteuer zu erleben, und ertappt sich als Erwachsener dabei, einen alten, manchmal fast vergessenen Traum von neuem zu träumen.
 

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Voor mijn kinderen Yonatan, Uri en Rutie
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Er draaft een hond door de straten en een jongen rent achter hem aan.
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Earnest, awkward and painfully shy, sixteen year old Asaf is having the worst summer of his life. With his big sister gone and his best friend suddenly the most popular kid in their class, Asaf spends his days at a lowly summer job in Jerusalem City Hall and his evenings alone, watching television and playing games on the Internet. One morning, Asaf's routine is interrupted by an absurd assignment- to find the owner of a stray yellow Labrador. Meanwhile on the other side of the city, Tamar, a talented singer with a lonely, tempestuous soul, undertakes an equally unpromising mission- to rescue a young drug addict from the Jerusalem underworld... and eventually, to find her dog. Grossman's most popular work to date, a bestseller hailed by the Israeli press for its mixture of fairy-tale magic, emotional sensitivity, and gritty realism, Someone to Run With explores the life of Israeli street kids and the anxieties of family life in a society racked by self-doubt. But most of all, Grossman evokes the adventure of adolescence and the discovery of love, as Tamar and Asaf, pushed beyond the limits of childhood, find the objects of their quests, find themselves, and find each other.

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