Blue Running

Blue Running is the best Texas-set dystopian novel I’ve ever read. As someone currently living in Texas, I found it somewhat unsettling, yet I could not put it down!

The story is set in post-secession Texas, also called the Republic. Two teenage girls—Bluebonnet “Blue” Andrews and Jet—are running from the law (and the lawless) for crimes they didn’t commit, in hopes of getting over the wall surrounding the state and landing in America. They don’t know who they can trust, they have little money, and there is danger everywhere.

This is a story that can leave a reader breathless. Imagine a Texas where everyone high school age and older must always carry a firearm. Imagine a Texas where a motorcycle gang called Mother is so mean and nasty that even law enforcement looks the other way. Imagine a Texas where they not only do everything they can to keep people out, but they also kill people who try to leave. The gap between the wealthy and everyone else is extremely wide, and poverty is a way of life for most Texans.

“Everyone knew the punishment for abortion in the Republic was death.”

As I read this, I began to wonder if life inside East Germany, behind the Berlin Wall, was any worse than this.

I don’t particularly consider this novel to be political, but I think it fits in perfectly with the current political climates of Texas and the United States. It seems that Texas politicians finally won out on their plan to stop gun violence: just arm everybody!

I think everyone who believes that secession would be a good thing for Texas should read this story. Yes—the story is fiction. But what if it wasn’t? As I said, it was very unsettling to me.

Once the two girls get on the run, the pacing picks up and we begin the build to the climax. One thing I really liked, in an unsettling sort of way, was the author’s ability to keep the reader expecting the unexpected. I’m still trying to untie some of the knots in my tummy from following these two girls in their dash for freedom.

Blue and Jet couldn’t be more different in many ways, except for the fact that neither had any friends. Jet liked it that way. She was a loner, and with good reason. She felt safer that way. Watching these two characters evolve in a short time was the highlight of the story to me. Their character arcs were well-received.

“Blessing is like fable to me now, a town with a warning that you don’t hear until you’re far enough away to catch the echo.”

—Blue Andrews

This story played heavily on my emotions. My empathy for the girls, my hatred of guns, and my love of country and state were all very raw by the time I finished the book. I could not read a story like this every day.

I would like to think this was a hard story to write. There is so much evil that when someone comes along with a decent amount of civility, they don’t seem to fit in well with the other characters.

I do recommend this story—highly. Remember, it’s only fiction.