Book Review: ‘Ruby’ by Cynthia Bond

Ruby by Cynthia Bond

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This story will stick with you. Ruby Bell is a broken woman with a long history of sexual assault that it has made her accept assault with numbing continuity. Ephram Jennings always admired Ruby from afar and finally takes the leap to show her love. The stories of the two characters and the town of Liberty intertwine in so many ways that they don’t know what’s pulling them together. Warning: The story has vivid rape and murder scenes, but these disturbing things happened in real places like fictional Liberty. Ruby obviously has mental health issues, but nobody reported her to the mental hospital, so the town watches her deteriorate and do nothing to help her except Ephram. And Ephram’s safe upbringing in the arms of his sister who acted as her mother doesn’t quite know how to deal with Ruby’s issues. But he tries. The story has the aura of classics like “Their Eyes Were Watching God” with Ephram loving Ruby and Ruby trying to accept that love; “Beloved” with the spirits haunting Ruby in plain sight and through others; “The Bluest Eye” with a child being tortured for being pretty. Since it’s beautifully written, the story flowed effortlessly, but the roughness of the content will strike you.


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