At one point I stopped reading the book and wondered if perhaps I should just leave it be indefinitely. Some of these themes were explored too often and it became a distraction that took me out of the story completely. As a student of the Gothic genre, I have come to learn what to expect in Southern Gothic, but even I had to put the book down and go back to reading something much lighter in tone. However, it should be noted that this book is very difficult to read due to the extreme graphic nature of the events depicted. There is no question the writing here is absolutely beautiful, the prose lyrical, immediately capturing my attention and I was positive I would lose myself in this novel. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss and Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.Ĭlassified as Southern Gothic, this novel embodies the genre and breaths new life into a long ago abandoned form of writing. I can’t wait to see what’s up next for Cynthia Bond.Ruby by Cynthia Bond is a 2015 Hogarth publication. This lady keeps busy teaches writing to teens at an adolescent treatment centre, and I hope we hear more from her soon. I also find novels infused with dialect to be greatly enriched by hearing them out loud.
To understand the intended rhythm and cadence, I would suggest getting your hands on the audio version of that scene (or the book in its entirety if possible), as it is powerfully read by the author herself in an adrenaline filled whirlwind.
subtle choppiness.īut I have to say, the reason why I think readers who are interested in experiencing diverse, challenging and experimental writing styles in their reading lives need only delve in to page 14, where there is a brilliant scene that combines a dialogue between two people, with the lyrics of the hymn playing in the background, and the steady onomatopoeia of the task at hand. Graphic violence, sexual exploitation and rape. Though this book hold’s its own, it is reminiscent of the ToMo classic in its subject matter- Deep South. Ruby has been most often compared to the ineffable Toni Morrison’s Beloved. I have read several of last year’s longlist actually, and they have all been wonderful. I have finally read an Oprah book pick before the title was selected for the honour! The reason I picked up Cynthia Bond’s Ruby is because it was nominated for the Flaherty Dunnan First Novel Award in 2014.
0 kommentar(er)
