In 'Ruby', Cynthia Bond weaves a haunting tale of love, trauma, and resilience set against the backdrop of a small Southern town. The story follows Ruby, a woman haunted by her past, who struggles to reclaim her identity and healing amidst the pervasive darkness. Enter Ephram, a man determined to save her, who must confront his own demons to forge a path toward redemption. Filled with lyrical prose, the novel explores themes of racism, spiritual awakening, and the unbreakable bonds of community. Will Ruby find the strength to overcome her past, or will it consume her completely?
By Cynthia Bond
Published: 2015
"Sometimes the darkest paths lead to the brightest destinations, and it's in our scars that we find the strength to rise."
A New York Times bestseller and Oprah Book Club 2.0 selection, the epic, unforgettable story of a man determined to protect the woman he loves from the town desperate to destroy her. This beautiful and devastating debut heralds the arrival of a major new voice in fiction. Ephram Jennings has never forgotten the beautiful girl with the long braids running through the piney woods of Liberty, their small East Texas town. Young Ruby Bell, “the kind of pretty it hurt to look at,” has suffered beyond imagining, so as soon as she can, she flees suffocating Liberty for the bright pull of 1950s New York. Ruby quickly winds her way into the ripe center of the city—the darkened piano bars and hidden alleyways of the Village—all the while hoping for a glimpse of the red hair and green eyes of her mother. When a telegram from her cousin forces her to return home, thirty-year-old Ruby finds herself reliving the devastating violence of her girlhood. With the terrifying realization that she might not be strong enough to fight her way back out again, Ruby struggles to survive her memories of the town’s dark past. Meanwhile, Ephram must choose between loyalty to the sister who raised him and the chance for a life with the woman he has loved since he was a boy. Full of life, exquisitely written, and suffused with the pastoral beauty of the rural South, Ruby is a transcendent novel of passion and courage. This wondrous page-turner rushes through the red dust and gossip of Main Street, to the pit fire where men swill bootleg outside Bloom’s Juke, to Celia Jennings’s kitchen, where a cake is being made, yolk by yolk, that Ephram will use to try to begin again with Ruby. Utterly transfixing, with unforgettable characters, riveting suspense, and breathtaking, luminous prose, Ruby offers an unflinching portrait of man’s dark acts and the promise of the redemptive power of love. Ruby was a finalist for the PEN America Robert Bingham Debut Novel Award, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and an Indie Next Pick.
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“Sometimes the darkest paths lead to the brightest destinations, and it's in our scars that we find the strength to rise.”
Ruby (Oprah's Book Club 2.0)
By Cynthia Bond
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Cynthia Bond is an acclaimed American author known for her deeply lyrical and evocative writing style. She is best known for her debut novel, 'Ruby,' which was a finalist for the 2016 Pen/Faulkner Award and received widespread critical acclaim for its poignant exploration of race, trauma, and love in the American South. Bond's work often delves into themes of resilience and healing, with a focus on complex characters and rich, sensory descriptions. In addition to 'Ruby,' her works include the follow-up novel 'The Last Time I Saw You' and numerous essays and short stories that further showcase her powerful voice and commitment to storytelling.
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