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Ruth

Marlene S. Lewis
Matador (2012)
ISBN 9781848766235
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (1/12)

“Friday 14th December 1956 had arrived at last.  Fed up with boarding school, Ruth’s final day couldn’t come soon enough.  She longed for the familiar lush, green landscapes of Papua with myriad flowering trees and vibrant, cascading orchids.  And, of course, seeing Tommy.  She hoped he’d missed her as much as she had missed him, and wondered if he had changed over the last year.  Ruth knew she had changed.”  (p.1)

So begins Marlene S. Lewis’ novel, “Ruth.”  When we first meet the title character, Ruth, she is on her long journey home from school.  The different settings for the novel I am not very familiar with (Sydney, New South Wales, etc.) so keeping track of the landscape was a little challenging for me.  After hours and hours of travel, she boards a small plane to take her on the final stretch of her journey to her home.  The plane ride though, is anything but routine, and has a terrifying conclusion.

Once that harrowing experience is in her past she finds out that there is more in store for her at home.  Her mother is acting differently and she is unsure what is going on.  Then there is also her relationship with the mixed-race Tommy to think about.  Ruth’s life would never be the same again after that journey home for Christmas. 

I enjoyed the roller coaster ride that was Ruth’s life.    At first when incident after incident began happening to Ruth, I thought that the book was going to be a little far-fetched.  However, as I kept reading, I found that it actually worked well and made for a good read. The protagonist certainly ends up going through a lot and Lewis did a wonderful job of keeping the reader engaged in her life.  The characters in the book were all very well developed and the storyline flowed smoothly from start to finish.  “Ruth” is a worthwhile read.

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