Julie's Review: Saving Ruby King

Author: Catherine Adel West
Series: None
Publication Date: June 16, 2020
Publisher: Park Row Books
Pages: 320
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Multi-faceted, stunning debut novel
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: When Ruby King’s mother is found murdered in their home in Chicago’s South Side, the police dismiss it as another act of violence in a black neighborhood. But for Ruby, it’s a devastating loss that leaves her on her own with her violent father. While she receives many condolences, her best friend, Layla, is the only one who understands how this puts Ruby in jeopardy. Their closeness is tested when Layla’s father, the pastor of their church, demands that Layla stay away. But what is the price for turning a blind eye? In a relentless quest to save Ruby, Layla uncovers the murky loyalties and dangerous secrets that have bound their families together for generations. Only by facing this legacy of trauma head-on will Ruby be able to break free. An unforgettable debut novel, Saving Ruby King is a powerful testament that history doesn’t determine the present and the bonds of friendship can forever shape the future. ~amazon.com 

Review: I really am afraid I won't do this gorgeous book enough justice with any words in my review. It is stunning, multi-faceted, page turner of a novel. This will be a book that you will want to devour but will also want to slow down in reading becuase it is so nuanced. It will open your eyes to things that you might have been blind to or things you knew about but didn't pay attention to for much more than a news cycle. Ruby King will want to make you understand. 

Everyone in their tightknit church family thinks that Ruby King is coming apart after her mother is shot and killed in their home but for Ruby it's the furthest thing from the truth. She knows what she has to do: escape. 

The story of Ruby isn't just told from her perspective it told from the history of just how her and Layla's history is really intertwined. Some times the sins of the father(s) really does have long-term consequences. Layla has her own issues with her Reverend father with him treating her like he owns her. She feels he doesn't listen (he doesn't) and doesn't get that she's an young woman with thoughts and idea all her own. She yearns to break free from him and the church but she doesn't know how. 

I loved these characters and felt deeply for their pain because some of it could have been prevented by those that came before them in their families. I even felt for Lebanon, even how nasty he was, because he never felt loved and therefore never knew how to love. 

So much of this novel is about how our families shape us: good, bad, ugly and beautiful. It is also about how to break free of those chains to destroy cycles that hold you back. 


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