Reviewed by: Run Me to Earth by Paul Yoon Erin Roberts Paul Yoon. Run Me to Earth. Simon & Schuster, 2020. 254p. Run Me to Earth is set during the chaos of the Vietnam War but tells the story of the often-forgotten country of Laos. Laos lies between Thailand and Vietnam and shares the entirety of its eastern border with Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, Laos became a transportation route for the Viet Cong and Northern Vietnamese Army to reach southern Vietnam while avoiding major roadblocks and confrontations. Consequently, the United States initiated a series of 580,000 aerial bombing missions lasting from 1964-1973 in an attempt to prevent the Viet Cong’s movement. During this time, “over two million tons of ordnance were dropped on Laos,” which is more than the combined amount of bombs dropped on Germany and Japan by the United States during World War II (viii). Over thirty percent of these bombs did not explode on impact. It is in the chaos of these bombings that readers are first introduced to three orphaned teenagers whose stories drive the narrative. This narrative begins in 1969, when we are introduced to Alisak, Prany, and Noi, who have grown up in Laos and know nothing but war. After years of nomadic lifestyles and taking any odd job that would put food in their mouths, the orphans have found work at a United States field hospital as make-shift medical assistants, janitorial staff, night watch, and, most importantly, motorcycle runners. Using sticks to mark safe routes, these teenagers are sent on daring missions to pick up wounded civilians trapped in the Plain of Jars amongst unexploded bombs and bring them back to “the farmhouse” field hospital for medical care. It’s dangerous work, but comes with high pay, educational opportunities, and the chance to leave Laos with the Americans. While working at “the farmhouse,” a Vientiane doctor called Vang befriends the orphans and teaches them English and French. Their connection with the doctor grows as he begins to fill a quasi-parental/teacher role long absent in their lives. As the North Vietnamese Army expands its control and evacuation becomes imminent, the orphans start to daydream about where they will go [End Page 143] after the war: France, Spain, the United States. During the actual evacuation, the three are separated, each one’s journey representing a different experience of the Laos people during the remainder of the war and the Communist reconstruction afterwards. These journeys are supplemented with the experiences of Auntie, a smuggler and human trafficker working to help refugees cross into Thailand, and Khit, a child orphan in the employ of Auntie who desperately wants to leave Laos, but cannot afford the trafficking fee. While connected into one cohesive narrative, it becomes clear early on that each chapter is really a complex short story with its own plot arc. The chapters are not numbered; instead, they are titled only with the narrator’s name and dated by year. Yoon switches character views deftly, creating independent voices for each, while also maintaining a simplicity of language. This simplicity and understatement allows the shock of the characters’ experiences to reverberate through the text and becomes one of the connecting features that ties all the narratives together. Through these individual narratives, Yoon creates a comprehensive and sympathetic view of Laos as a victim country. Through the orphans’ perspective, we experience devastating civilian injuries and death, the complexities of immigration, the brutality of “reeducation camps,” and the redefining of family after loss. Additionally, we are exposed to the world of human trafficking and smuggling through the characters of Auntie and Khit. By including each of these narratives as stand-alone stories within a larger narrative, Yoon gives voice and recognition to the many unseen victims of war. In this sense, each of the orphans and their journeys begin to represent the larger civilian experiences of Laos. This experience recognition sets Run Me to Earth apart from other novels. Yoon has the uncanny ability to recognize a character’s experience, create a deep emotional attachment between reader and character, and present a character’s journey in a way that allows for understanding...
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