Run Me to Earth

Simon & Schuster

Company type	Publishing company
Industry	Publishing
Headquarters	United States
Products	Books
Website	www.simonandschuster.com

Run Me to Earth is a novel released in 2020 by Paul Yoon, marking his second published work. It was brought out by Simon & Schuster on January 28, 2020. The narrative centers on three orphans living in Laos amid the Laotian Civil War, following their divergent paths after being separated. Presented through a third-person omniscient viewpoint, the book is divided into six interconnected stories that span six decades. It garnered favorable critiques and earned a spot on the longlist for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

Background

Between May 23, 1959, and December 2, 1975, Laos was the site of a civil conflict involving the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government, which was supported by the United States in its efforts to prevent the spread of communism throughout Southeast Asia. The Central Intelligence Agency trained ethnic groups such as the Hmong to act as guerrilla fighters. From 1964 through 1973, the CIA executed more than 580,000 bombing sorties over Laos, releasing upwards of two million tons of ordnance—surpassing the total volume dropped on Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during World War II. Approximately thirty percent of these bombs failed to explode, leaving behind unexploded munitions that still pose dangers today.

In his author's note, Yoon clarifies that although Run Me to Earth is set against this historical backdrop, its characters and scenarios are fictional creations.

For storytelling purposes, Yoon modified aspects of Laos's geography and altered the timeline of the civil war events, including adjustments to bombings on the Plain of Jars. He also introduced invented locations such as the town of Phonsavan and areas around Canigou in southern France.

Plot

The novel Run Me to Earth unfolds through six stories spanning six decades, primarily covering years between 1969 and 1977. The timeline begins in 1969, moves forward to 1974 and 1977, then returns to 1969 before advancing again to 1994 and finally 2018. While primarily set in Laos, the story also takes place in New York, Spain, and rural France. The third-person omniscient narration shifts attention among various characters and frequently employs stream-of-consciousness techniques to reveal their internal reflections.

Alisak (1969)

Set in Laos during the Laotian Civil War in 1969, orphans Alisak along with siblings Prany and Noi assist at an improvised field hospital near the Plain of Jars. This facility was formerly a tobacco plantation owned by a French businessman known as the Tobacco Captain and is managed by French physician Vang. The orphans act as orderlies and couriers, navigating dangerous terrain on motorbikes while delivering medical supplies amidst ongoing aerial bombings and unexploded ordnance. As American aircraft return prompting evacuation of the hospital, Yves—the Tobacco Captain’s brother—offers to sponsor their relocation to France. Alisak is sent to Perpignan in Southern France where he arrives at "the Vineyard" and encounters Marta, an employee there.

Auntie (1974)

Auntie last encountered Prany and Vang four years earlier before their camp was attacked. Having been childhood friends with Vang from Vientiane, Auntie learns from Touby that Prany and Vang have been captured and tortured by the Pathet Lao near Vietnam. Prany suffers from paralysis in one hand, straining their relationship. Auntie recalls Vang’s sorrow when he speaks about Noi and Prany’s courageous return for others during a helicopter evacuation.

Prany (1977)

Following seven years confined in a reeducation camp, Prany and Vang gain their freedom and seek retribution by assassinating their former interrogator. Prany encounters Khit, and together they visit the abandoned farmhouse hospital. Wearing a doctor's coat that conceals a personal keepsake—a paper marked with a circle—Prany entrusts Khit with the coat and his money through Auntie, instructing her to escort Khit to Thailand. He emphasizes the importance of remembering the name "Alisak," only to later realize he left the paper inside the coat pocket.

Noi (1969)

Noi reflects on her time working for "the Frenchman," known as the Tobacco Captain, where she cooked and cleaned after his social gatherings. Vang informs Noi that they will depart for France that very night. The group of four—Alisak, Prany, Vang, and Noi—ride motorcycles toward waiting helicopters, accompanied by a nurse who travels with Noi. As Noi speeds over a bump, she notices Alisak glancing back at her with an expression she interprets as "the greatest gift," symbolizing their mutual hope to grow old together. Releasing the handlebars, Noi experiences a deeply tranquil moment.

Khit (1994)

Khit journeys to Perpignan and meets Marta, who explains that Khit spent two years at Auntie's camp in Thailand. Auntie had arranged for a couple to act as her adoptive parents, facilitating their initial relocation to Jackson Heights, Queens, followed by a move to Poughkeepsie, New York. Khit discovers that Prany and Vang were executed for killing an interrogator. Marta shares that Alisak might be residing in Sa Tuna, Spain. Upon visiting Spain, Khit meets Isabel and approaches Alisak’s shop carrying a seventeen-year-old paper she believes belonged to Prany.

Sa Tuna, Spain (2018)

At age sixty-six, Alisak works in a bicycle and moped repair shop in northeastern Spain. He reminisces about Prany, Noi, and their first successful fire atop a hill. As he prepares to attend Isabel’s father’s birthday celebration—her uncle having been Alisak’s former colleague—he recalls Khit’s visit years earlier when she gave him a paper associated with Prany. Arriving at the party overlooking luminous coastal towns, memories of the hilltop and children resisting sleep to enjoy a small fire come flooding back.

Title

The novel’s title is inspired by W. S. Merwin’s poem "Peire Vidal," which is quoted at the beginning of Run Me to Earth following the author’s note.

Publication and promotion

Run Me to Earth was released by Simon & Schuster on January 28, 2020.

On February 6, 2020, Yoon appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to promote the novel.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews commended the book for Yoon’s inventive prose and profound empathy for characters that elevate it beyond a mere survival narrative.

Publishers Weekly characterized it as "a finely crafted story of bravery and perseverance," praising Yoon’s "eloquent and sensitive portrayal of Alisak."

In The New York Times, critic Tash Aw described the novel as "a powerful reflection on the destructive impact of war and displacement."

The book was included on the longlist for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

Acknowledgements

In Run Me to Earth, Paul Yoon acknowledges a variety of sources and references that contributed to the creation of the novel, including:

• Joshua Kurlantzick's work A Great Place to Have a War: America in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIA
• Investigations conducted by BBC and the Mines Advisory Group
• The 2016 address delivered by President Barack Obama to the Laotian population
• David A. Andelman's piece "Laos after the Takeover" published in The New York Times
• Grant Evans' publications The Politics of Ritual and Remembrance: Laos Since 1975 and A Short History of Laos: The Land in Between
• Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1954 speech discussing the Domino theory
• Vatthana Pholsena’s book Post-war Laos: The Politics of Culture, History, and Identity
• Poetry authored by Mai Der Vang
• Ralph Sneeden’s article "Blaenavon" featured in The Common magazine