About the Author
Lori Ann Stephens is an award-winning author whose American published novels include Novalee and the Spider Secret, Some Act of Vision, and Song of the Orange Moons. Her short stories have appeared in Glimmer Train Stories, and other literary presses. She is also the winner of The Chicago Tribune’s “Nelson Algren Awards.” A lifelong Texan, she’s seen the best and worst of her home state and has come to the conclusion that Texans are truly fabulous at heart. She teaches creative writing and critical reasoning at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Follow @lorifromtexas on Twitter, Visit loriannstephens.com
About the book
In the new Republic of Texas, open-carry gun ownership is mandatory, fundamentalist religion is the norm, violent motorcycle gangs terrorise the towns, the police are corrupted, and vigilantes guard the Wall that keeps people out and in. It is in this setting that Bluebonnet Andrews has grown up in the small town of Blessing with her alcoholic deputy father, her mother having fled the country just before Texas’ borders were closed to the rest of the world.
When a firearm accident kills Blue’s best friend, the Texas Rangers accuse her of murder. The penalty for murder is death, regardless of your age. Terrified, Blue goes on the run. In this journey away from the only home she has ever known, Blue joins up with a Latin American teenager named Jet, who is also on the run. Blue's vague plans of crossing the border and finding her mother are galvanized by Jet’s situation: the 16-year-old is pregnant. She needs to cross the Wall into America, where abortion is still legal. But is freedom of choice worth dying for?
Blue Running addresses issues of feminism, nationalism, women’s rights, racial injustice, immigration, and gun ownership, framed through the intimate tale of two young women from different backgrounds reacting to the system. Underlying these surface issues are their own personal struggles: histories of abandonment, abuse, sexual assault, racism, and individual agency.
Lori Stephens is a massive new talent in the literary fiction thriller scene. Her writing is sparse, fearless, and real. Blue Running pulls no punches. A fast-paced, page-turning, chilling book which looks unflinchingly at what the future could hold, Blue Running is unforgettable and important. This is her first book to be published in the UK.
Review
Blue is a neglected, abandoned and lonely teenager, who finds her life thrown upside down when she finds herself in the middle of a tragic accident. Trouble is nobody believes her and as she is making her way to the person she thinks will embrace her with open arms, she comes across a young girl who intends to flee to America to an abortion. Blue starts to understand her own privilege and how different life is for both of them. Their journey becomes an awakening and eye-opening experience.
A dystopian that sails close to the wind when it comes to realistic possible futuristic scenarios will always be memorable and relatable. This plot describes a future certain political groupings and fanatics would be quite comfortable with. A wall built between those who misinterpret freedom and democracy, and those who understand better what democracy truly means.
Stephens has brought together the most contentious issues of 21st century America, and the political climate of the past six years or so, to create a fascinating coming-of-age story. Blue represents the youth of today, but perhaps more importantly Jet and Blue represent both sides of the story.
In a frank and often alarming look into the future, the plot deals with racism, neglect, abuse, and the victims of political power plays. Where the powers that be take choice and freedom away from women and young girls, all in the name of religion - on words written by man for men. Whilst simultaneously the same powers that be think nothing of making each child a potential killer by arming them and enforcing martial law on everyone, including children who break the law. The break in logic is clear to some and yet to others this seems like a great structure for society.
It's a gripping and fascinating read.
Buy Blue Running at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Moonflower Books, pub date 2nd December 2021|£16.99| Hardback. Buy at Amazon com.
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