Running North: A Yukon Adventure

Rating:
Summary: Slow pace didn't bring justice to a great story...
Review: While this was an interesting read, I was anticipating much more. This story lacked the pace and attention grabbing anecdotes of similar novels. Far too much time was spent on descriptions of preparing for the race--the race didn't even start until page 175 out of a 312 page book! And then once the race did begin, I felt that it was rushed over. Also, a few big holes were left unaswered, such as what happened between Ann and Sandy after the big fallout? At some point they must have spoken again, but Sandy never reappeared. It's been seven years since the race, they had to have some interaction since then. Ann spent too much time developing the aspects of the relationship and tension build-up and then just dropped it. I felt their's was the most interesting relationship in the book, and it wasn't fair to have the final outcome ignored. I was also a little bothered by the general attitude of dogs as productive property rather than living creatures, and both Ann's and George's obsession with the race over their concern for their own daughter. Here are a couple of examples: "With Kathleen in my arms, I jogged down to the parking lot to see our team coming in." Please note that she is running around in arctic temperatures while Kathleen is sick with a high fever and severe vomiting spells. She was always shuffling that poor little girl around like that. "The sight of her made George think of Kathleen. She hadn't crossed his mind in days......He pushed the subject from his mind. It brought on worries about things he couldn't control and took his thoughts away from the race." It's the race above all else, I guess. Still, all in all I found the general focus of the story intriguing and it does adequately cover the emotions behind adjusting to such isolation. I would definitely recommend it, but I wouldn't insist on it.