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Noah Barleywater Runs Away is a brilliantly organized allegory, tackling some of the most important and difficult questions about life and death through fairytale-like stories.
The book begins with 8-year-old Noah running away from home in the early morning. We don’t know why he is leaving; he doesn’t want to think about it. On his journey, he meets some talking animals and an apple tree which appears to move. Shortly thereafter, he meets an old man in an unusual toy shop.
The old man welcomes the boy and the two exchange stories – the old man tells Noah fanciful tales about his own childhood hinting at a possible parallel to the boy’s reasons for running away. He also tells stories about the puppets that his father has carved of key people in the old man’s life. Each tale reveals a certain truth about life, an inferred lesson, of sorts, which encourages Noah to share a story about his family.
Not a book for children who struggle or who read only on a literal level, Noah Barleywater Runs Away is highly imaginative and difficult to predict. The wisdom is not heavy-handed but presented rather as something to think about. Subjects include broken promises, forgiveness, the importance of family, and appreciating the moment.
Each chapter brings the reader closer to knowing the real reason Noah has left home and deeper into the imaginative tales of the old man. There is a deep sadness to the book, but it is a sadness presented in the context of life and a better future.
Readers at different levels of maturity will interpret this story on varying levels. Adults will take away a message much different than children; thoughtful children may see even more in this story than adults.
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Noah Barleywater Runs Away