The Runner by Scarlet Thomas

 A jumbled mess, that's how I would describe The Runner by Scarlet Thomas.  I know that statement does not sound very kind, but while reading the book, I felt lost and confused through most of the story so this is the most accurate description that I could come up with.  

One of the hardest parts about being a professional reader is the statement, "I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review."  I strongly dislike writing honest reviews that are not complimentary to a particular piece of literature. Yet I say honest review so I must be honest.  Now I love most stories that I read.  I am a very openminded reader and do my best to find the good in each book. However The Runner  by Scarlet Thomas, felt like a disjointed plot with constant changes in scenes and characters that held little substance.  I never felt like I truly knew the main characters, Jay and Ellie.  The were surface characters that never grew to feel real to me.  

Now to say something positive about the novel, because I just have to, I liked the premise of the story.  Jay, is a runner who had a troubled childhood and found that running was one way he could build his self esteem. Through tragic circumstances he becomes the victim of being 'on the run' from assassins who have purchased a contract that was created using bitcoin on the dark web.  The contract had little value when it was created, but due to the nature of bitcoin, it was not cashed in for the past 15 years and has become a literal vast fortune in exchange for proof of his assassination.

Elle has the the contract on Jay but falls in love with him and doesn't want to kill him.

 Sounds like a really good story...but sadly it isn't.  It isn't executed well and I finished it feeling frustrated. The storyline ebbed more than flowed. I found no distinct climax to the story. There were too many tepid characters and nothing ever got overly exciting. I was relieved to finish the book. That being said.  I feel very sad to rate it with 1 star.  My only consolation is that after I post my feedback on the NetGalley website, I will not post this review on extra locations to keep the disappointment I have for the book to a minimum amount of damage.  

The Runner is being published November 3, 2026 by Simon and Schuster. I wish Thomas well with future novels even though this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader's copy of The Runner, by Scarlet Thomas in exchange for this honest review.

#NetGalley. #TheRunner