John Wigglesworth's Reviews > The Ripening: A Canadian Girl Grows Up!

The Ripening charts the evolution of the main character, Tillie, from a young girl through to adulthood. This is an episodic novel, with the (non-linear) chapters each painting a vivid portrait of a particular time or key event in Tillie's life. I was a little unsure how I'd get on with what is quite an unusual structure, but actually it works brilliantly - from immediately giving the reader the young Tillie and mature Tillie juxtaposed, it delivers a fabulous hook: I was instantly compelled to understand how such a transition / evolution could happen. Yet, what really stood out for me in this novel is the astonishing power of the descriptive writing, and the author's unswerving ability to deliver scenes - time and time again - that are so evocative. The writing is genuinely beautiful, and often rich in pathos. There were also numerous lines that I thought were just brilliant.

This is not necessarily a 'light' read, but if you're interested in beautifully written literary fiction, are interested in people and what shapes them to become who they are, or even just want to read something that is structurally interesting in terms of how it all fits together, then I highly, highly recommend The Ripening!