Running Out of Time (Haddix novel)

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Running Out of Time is a 1995 Science Fiction Young Adult novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Jessie Keyser has lived 13 years thinking that she lives in a rural village called Clifton in 1840s Indiana. When her village is struck with a bout of diphtheria, her mother tells her the truth: The year is really 1996, and Clifton is nothing but a replica of a historic village, or a tourist attraction. Jessie is sent to go get the cure for diphtheria in secret in the outside world from a scientist named Mr. Neely. But Mr. Neely isn't going to let that happen.

Rumors exist that The Village is an adaptation of this book, but have not been confirmed.

Tropes used in Running Out of Time (Haddix novel) include:
  • Big Brother Is Watching: Since the tourists obviously can't interact with the villagers, special portraits of the President, trick mirrors, and similar tactics are used to let them observe from afar. At least one tourist has commented on how voyeuristic it all is, but the tour guides cheerfully explain that the villagers are aware of the surveillance and have all consented to it, so if no one has any further questions, we'll be moving right along...
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Mr. Neeley/Frank Lyle
  • Born in the Wrong Century
  • Chekhov's Gun: The fat environmentalist's comment about how you can't trust the water, referring to a ditch that Jessie was about to drink out of, ends up saving her when she's given a glass of water with a sedative dissolved in it. She remembers talking to him and dumps the water out the window instead of drinking it.
  • The Disease That Shall Not Be Named: Averted. Diphtheria and its symptoms are thoroughly described.
  • Evilutionary Biologist: Frank Lyle
  • Fish Out of Temporal Water
  • Infant Immortality: Averted. By the time Jessie reveals the truth about Clifton to the world, two children have already died from the disease.
  • Innocent Bigot: When Jessie gets to the outside world, she meets a black girl and briefly considers commenting on how surprisingly smart she is and asking her what it's like to be a "Negro." Fortunately she doesn't get a chance to actually say it.
  • Masquerade: The adults who joined Clifton when it was founded obviously know the truth, but they raised their children to believe it was the 1840s. They were initially meant to explain everything to the kids once they were old enough to understand, but that ended up being forbidden before any of the children could find out. The odd anachronism, such as the word "okay," still manages to creep in, which does not please the men in charge.
  • The Nineties: The book describes trends from the real present day and how they seem strange.
  • Playing with Syringes: Clifton is actually the brain child of a few scientists, funded by a millionaire, who are trying to breed a race of super humans by releasing various diseases into the water until the survivors are immune to all of them.
  • Science Marches On: Jessie is astounded by "new" technologies.
  • She Knows Too Much
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Frank Lyle.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Running_Out_of_Time_(Haddix_novel)?oldid=1765391"