John Gilstrap Criticism
John Gilstrap's debut novel, Nathan's Run (1996), offers a gripping narrative that reflects his insights into the harsh realities faced by troubled youth in the juvenile justice system. Drawing from his volunteer work with at-risk children, Gilstrap crafts a story centered on Nathan Bailey, a 12-year-old orphan who, after escaping his abusive uncle, finds himself entangled in a series of dire events that force him to flee from a juvenile detention center. As noted by Gaughan, Nathan's life mirrors a modern Dickensian tragedy with its themes of injustice and survival against overwhelming odds.
The novel's plot is driven by Nathan's resourcefulness and determination to communicate his side of the story through a radio show, gaining public sympathy, as highlighted by observers such as Publishers Weekly, which praised the book as "brilliantly calculated." Critics like Erna Chamberlain have lauded the novel for its exploration of moral ambiguity and the impact of societal neglect on youth, while others, including Drew Limsky, have pointed out its similarities to John Grisham's The Client. Despite some criticism of character depth, the novel's fast pace and engaging protagonist have contributed to its success, as Bobbie Hess describes Nathan as "one of the most likable characters in recent fiction." Ultimately, Nathan's Run stands out for its thrilling narrative and the poignant questions it raises about justice and empathy.
Contents
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Essays
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Nathan's Run
(summary)
In the following review, Gaughan offers a mixed assessment of Nathan's Run, finding the characters shallow. Nathan Bailey's life is a Dickensian tragedy updated for the 1990s. At age 11, his father dies in a car accident, leaving him orphaned and at the mercy of abusive, alcoholic, ne'er-do-well Uncle Mark. To escape further beatings, Nathan steals Mark's car and is sentenced to a juvenile-detention center, where he is promptly gang-raped. When a drunken guard attempts to kill him, Nathan manages to kill the guard and escape. Stealing cars and hiding in the suburban homes of vacationing families, Nathan learns that he's the talk of talk radio, and as the boy hunt escalates, he begins an on-the-air dialogue with The Bitch, a nationally syndicated talk-show star. The body count rises as a sadistic hitman also stalks Nathan, and only The Bitch and a local cop believe that Nathan may be a victim instead of a stone killer. This novel isn't literature, and the author isn't a new Dickens. Nathan seems too sweet and polite to be a believable 12-year-old, especially one so brutalized. Other characters, notably the callous juvey warden and the DA who thinks the death penalty for Nathan is his ticket to the U.S. Senate, are the flimsiest of cardboard constructions. That said, the book has an engaging, plucky hero and a breakneck pace, and it is likely to become both a smash best-seller and a big-budget film. Libraries should prepare for a Grisham-like run on Nathan's Run.
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Nathan's Run
(summary)
In the following review, the critic describes the ending of Nathan's Run as "predictable but undeniably pulse-pounding." In Nathan's Run, a preteen locked in a juvenile detention facility for car theft kills a supervisor, breaks out, and leads the police on a chase from Virginia to Pennsylvania.
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Nathan's Run
(summary)
Below, the critic offers a favorable review of Nathan's Run, calling the book a "brilliantly calculated debut."
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Nathan's Run
(summary)
In the following review, Chamberlain remarks favorably on Nathan's Run, which follows Nathan Bailey, a 12-year-old boy incarcerated in a juvenile detention center who escapes after murdering a guard. The story introduces various characters, including an ambitious prosecutor and an empathetic police lieutenant, and raises questions about punishment and the influences on the morality of violent crime.
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The Copycat Crime
(summary)
In the following review, he describes Nathan's Run as derivative of John Grisham's The Client.
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Punctuation and Pretzels
(summary)
In the following essay, Lambert describes how Nathan's Run earned publication. An exclamation point almost kept John Gilstrap from getting published. New York City agent Molly Friedrich was about to become the 28th to reject Gilstrap's manuscript, then called Nathan!, in her case without reading it because of the offending punctuation. But Friedrich's assistant Sheri Holman noticed Gilstrap was a fellow William & Mary grad and read further. The result: a heart-pounding tale of suspense—rechristened Nathan's Run, about a 12-year-old murder suspect trying to elude the heat and a hit man—that has already earned more than a million dollars in book and film rights.
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This Boy's Life Is No Fun on the Run
(summary)
Below, Hess praises Gilstrap's protagonist as "one of the most likable characters in recent fiction: an honest yet resourceful kid." This emotionally charged thriller is one of the year's best.
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Nathan's Run
(summary)
- Further Reading