Someone to Run With: A Novel

Earnest, awkward, and painfully shy, sixteen-year old Assaf is having the worst summer of his life. With his big sister gone to America and his best friend suddenly the most popular kid in their class, Assaf worries away his days at a lowly summer job in Jerusalem's city hall and spend his evenings alone. One morning, Assaf's routine is interrupted by an absurd assignment - to find the owner of a stray yellow Labrador retriever. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Tamar undertakes an equally unpromising mission - to rescue a drug-addicted boy and eventually to find her dog. 'Someone to run with' explores the life of Israeli street kids - whom Grossman interviewed extensively - and the anxieties of family life in a society racked by self-doubt. Most of all, it evokes the adventure of adolescence and the discovery of love as Tamar and Assaf, pushed beyond the limits of childhood by their quests, find themselves, and each other.