The Runaway

In this novel Mary Weeks Millard describes how Tiago, a victim of all four categories of abuse, deals with what is happening to him, without dwelling on the abuse itself. She crafts into the story some of the ways that the victims of abuse deal with the pain, but this isn’t a novel that delves into the darkness of abuse, but a story of hope and learning to trust again. On his journey, Tiago finds people across the age and social spectrum who could hurt him or could help him. He has to decide if he will trust again. Are the gang of runaways going to be like the bullies at school or will their shared experience bring a level of understanding? Can he trust the gypsies or are the stereotypes of them true? Who is he? What worth does he have? Can he trust anyone? Does he belong anywhere and what does family really mean?

Tiago discovers he has a value and can be loved as a friend, as a brother, as a son and as a boyfriend; that real love is not conditional or self-serving, but sacrificial and unconditional; that if you are being abused there are people whom you can trust and who will help you because it’s not right and you don’t have to live with it.