In this mesmerizing and profound novel, the arc of a woman’s life in a devout, insular community challenges our deepest assumptions about what infuses life with meaning.
Ruth is raised in a snow globe of Christian communism, a world without private property, television, or tolerance for idle questions. Every morning she braids her hair and wears the same costume, sings the same breakfast song in a family room identical to every other family room in the community; every one of these moments is meant to be a prayer, but to Ruth they remain puzzles. Her life is seen in glimpses through childhood, marriage, and motherhood, as she tries to manage her own perilous curiosity in a community built on holy mystery. Is she happy? Might this in fact be happiness? Ruth immerses us in an experience that challenges our most fervent beliefs.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Imprint: Doubleday UK
Publication date: 26/08/2025
Ruth
By Kate Riley
Reviewed by Renata
At its simplest, Ruth presents the thoughts and feelings of one woman living in a closed Christian community, from childhood to middle age. If that sounds dry or limited, let me assure you, this book is a true original. Kate Riley's unique heroine has such a wry, funny, subversive voice that her day-to-day reflections on God, regulation underwear and failed custards are completely absorbing. Ruth is a natural renegade; at the same time, she genuinely longs to sublimate her anarchic tendencies and achieve spiritual harmony with her Anabaptist brethren. Through her, Riley explores a universal human tension: the desire for individuation and freedom vs our longing for connection and community.
