Member Reviews
This was a beautiful, complex, painful read.
There is so much honesty in this story- the trauma of Ruby losing her mother to a senseless murder on Chicago's South side and having it reduced down to a statistical likelihood and not considered a matter that deserved justice purely because it happened in a predominantly Black neighborhood was appropriate to the current climate, infuriating, and heart-wrenching all at the same time.
Catherine Adel West's writing is sumptuous, poetic, and her narrative, even when switching between character perspectives is some of the most beautiful I have read. Ever.
Everyone should read this gorgeous standout debut novel.
Saving Ruby King tells the story of Ruby King, a Black girl living on the South Side of Chicago, and the people who surround her. At the outset of the story, her mother, Alice, has been found murdered, though it is not entirely clear who killed her. Ruby is left to live with her father, Lebanon, a man who has long been abusive towards her and Alice. Ruby’s best friend, Layla, worries that living with Lebanon will push Ruby towards depression and potentially even suicide, and her instinct is to try to protect Ruby. We hear Ruby, Layla, Ruby’s dad, and Layla’s dad’s perspectives, as well as the narrative voice of the church that they attend and where Layla’s father works.
Layla is a true friend to Ruby, and looks out for her as she is deeply worried that she could be in harm’s way living alone with Lebanon. We come to understand Layla’s unsteady relationship with her father, a man with his own complicated history, and with her mother, who was a friend to Alice. We also learn how fiercely she can look out for her friend. As such, this book is a testament to good friendship. Layla’s sections of the novel are among the most compelling.
Through Lebanon’s story, we learn how cycles of trauma and dysfunction occur and how trauma can continue through generations. Lebanon wanted to be loved by his mother and she was abusive towards him. In turn, he became abusive towards Alice and Ruby. One remarkable aspect of the book is how we come to understand Lebanon as a complex man despite the obviously horrible way he treated Alice and Ruby. Part of the skills of Catherine Adel West’s writing comes from the way she shows Lebanon’s complexity in spite of all that he has done wrong. It is hard to be truly sympathetic to a man who was abusive, but Catherine Adel West writes his segments in such a way that readers will at least find some degree of understanding him and his circumstances, if not feel sympathy.
One of the great strengths of the novel is that Catherine Adel West has beautifully gotten inside the head of each of her characters, showing great empathy through her writing to each one of them. Readers in turn will feel understanding and sympathy towards each of them. As well, the voice of the church is a valuable addition to the book, as it is the voice of someone (or rather, something) that has watched over the community for decades. The voice of the church is one of the most unique and compelling features of the book.
One aspect of the novel that makes it unique is that Saving Ruby King it's not just a story about Ruby, her family and friends, and social issues in a Black community in Chicago, but also in that it is a mystery of sorts about who was responsible for Alice King’s death. Readers will be curious to know the backstory of various characters and to understand how Alice lost her life. Readers will be glued to the pages as they will learn more about more what happened as the story proceeds.
Saving Ruby King is filled with rich passages that describe the life of the Black community in this neighbourhood in Chicago and the social issues that impact them. These issues range from gentrification, to generational trauma, and to police violence that disproportionately impacts the Black community. Interspersed between passages about each of the central characters are their thoughts about their community and what their lives are like as Black citizens of Chicago. There are many truly memorable passages throughout the book describing the obstacles that members of Ruby’s community face as a low-income, Black community in Chicago. As such, this is an extremely timely and important read.
However compelling the story, the book is somewhat uneven in terms of the different perspectives that are portrayed. Some of the characters perspectives were extremely compelling, others were not quite as interesting to read. Highlights of the book include the church’s narrative, and Layla and Lebanon’s perspectives. Layla’s father’s perspective and even Ruby’s own perspective fall a bit short of the others in terms of their power. Certainly different readers will form their own opinion about the various perspectives, but overall the stories do not feel equal in terms of how engaging each character’s voice is.
Saving Ruby King is far more than just a story of a girl and her friend and family; it is a powerful story about a community. It is about the way a shocking and tragic event impacts the members of that community. It is about the things that community has had to cope with over time. It is also about the role of the church in the community and how it brings people together and what happens inside its walls.
What is perhaps most compelling about this novel is the way it combines the stories of the unique characters and their perspectives with insightful passages about social issues impacting the local Black community. Catherine Adel West has masterfully combined each of these elements to create a powerful and engaging story.
An interesting split point-of-view read looking at the ways our history defines us, even when we don't know our full personal history. One of the most interesting parts was having a point-of-view from an inanimate object (a church) that certainly played a role as a character in the lives of all the other characters.
A timely portrayal of the interior lives of Black lives and the intersection of religion and patriarchy. A family and the folks around them are affected by the actions of a community leader. Intergenerational trauma is explored through the weaving of multiple narratives and perspectives.
This book is recommended by many reviewers and for good reason. I really enjoyed it and will look for more of this author in the future.
Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West is the story of two families on the south side of Chicago tied together for three generations by friendship and violence. Told by four of the main characters and the church building. Disturbing, timely, and raw, but tempered by the lyrical prose.
Strong debut. Engrossing story. Little heavy handed on some of the explanations of racism which felt less like a character's thoughts than an educational moment.
***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***
I'm having trouble putting how I feel about this story into words. West did a fantastic job with her debut novel. She gifts readers with a fascinating and deep cast of characters, some of which carry the weight of decades-old secrets on their shoulders. I felt a dozen different emotions as I moved through the pages and found myself wondering "what if" about a few of the different situations and people.
This story is told from different POVs but my favorite, and the one I learned the most from, was Calvary Baptist Church. I love that West gave the church a voice. It's through the POV of the church that I got to see the history of many characters, and how I learned about many of the secrets that haunt the two families at the forefront of the book.
West breathes life into Chicago in this story. I think the city could stand alone as a character in the book, to be honest. We got the good, the bad, and the ugly pieces, without any sugarcoating or rose colored glasses. It was clear to me that West is a Chicago native, with the details and ambiance she used.
This is a great book and it's also timely, given all the different things happening across the world right now.
Four stars to this novel!
An outstanding job at capturing the essence of Chicago’s largest neighborhood Englewood. The author offers reader a multi layered plot Akeley uses a community church as a character. This story brings forward issues and Brian products associated with racism, gentrification, and patriarchy. Strong women carry the narrative, Find earths heavily varied mystery, and please redemption i’ll be half of a murdered family member. Trigger warnings for racism, violence against women, abuse of patriarchy, anything you can associate with the previous list described. and an absolutely deeply compelling debut novel by an emerging Chicago author.
Saving Ruby King is such a timely novel to read during the period of racial unrest and injustice we are experiencing in the summer of 2020. Ruby’s story is told from multiple points of view and each of the characters come alive in a vivid way. Friendship, family, and secrets; a beautiful and powerful debut novel. This story will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
Thank you to Harlequin Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!
Ruby King’s mother was found murdered on Chicago’s South Side, which was dismissed as a random act of violence. She’s left with her violent father, and her only outlet is Layla, her best friend. Layla’s father is their pastor, and he urges Layla to stay away from Ruby. Layla won’t stay away, and starts to unearth ties between the two families.
Catherine Adel West is from Chicago, and it shows in the nuance of the neighborhood descriptions as characters travel from one part of town to another. We deal with three generations of Black families, with secrets binding them together long before Layla and Ruby are even born. The story shifts between the perspectives of the characters and even Calvary Church itself, which gives an interesting outlook that the characters themselves would never admit to.
In addition to racism, there are elements of incest, domestic violence, depression, suicide and crises of faith. It's a lot to weave together, but it works here because of the generational trauma that is discussed. The events that were hidden only serve to worsen the trauma, so that it isn't until secrets are revealed and we actually know what happened that the characters are able to heal and grow. Saving someone isn't just removing them from abuse, after all. Its shadow will follow them long after they're in a quiet place. Truly saving someone involves giving them the means to make real choices for the future, and that's what we get at the end of the novel. It isn't unrealistically hopeful, and saving Ruby is a group effort that I was glad I was able to read about.
This book snuck up on me and I loved that! It was a little difficult at first to get a sense of where the story was going because there were many different point of views, but once you start to know the characters it becomes much easier to keep up. Some very heavy topics are covered from Racism to Trauma/Abuse, so it isn't for the weak. I loved the exploration of life long bonds and family dynamics.
QUICK TAKE: it took me probably 100 pages to get into and figure out all of the characters and relationships, but once I had a handle on what was going on, I was completely invested in this multi-generational family story/mystery about a Chicago woman who goes missing after the senseless murder of her mother. I found the book to be emotional, heartbreaking and really well-written. Definite recommend.
I thought this was a great read, I wasn't disappointed at all. A much needed story where "the church" and its affect on Black people and its community is always welcome especially when its told with care.
Saving Ruby King is thought-provoking, emotional and a timely story. Kudos to this author.
Wanted to love this one more than I did, it was more a slow burn for me. Good debut in some heavy and timely topics of race, domestic violence, guilt, faith and murder.
Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West was a powerful piece on generational trauma. This type of trauma is something I've recently learned about and to further learn about through such an emotional read was powerful. The story begins with Ruby's mother being murdered. Her best friend Layla wants to be there for her as best she can, but she encounters some pushback on this from her father. This is particularly surprising given her father is a pastor. What then follows is an exploration of the stories and experiences that led everyone in the story to the place they now are. Some of this is told in the present, but the true power and revelations come in the stories from the past. Various narrators share their perspectives and pain. Of all the narrators, I actually found the most powerful one to be the physical church building. It was very much an "if these walls could talk" reveal, and there was much to reveal. This is an emotional story of the continued impact of secrets and trauma through relationships and years. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this recent release!
*Given an advanced reading copy from the publisher via NetGalley*
<i>Saving Ruby King</i> by Catherine Adel West is a story about a young woman trying to figure out how to live with the abuse from her father when the community, especially their church, believe her father killed her mother.
Ruby King’s mother Alice is shot dead in her South Side Chicago home after returning from Calvary Hop Christian Church. This of course devastates Ruby but also worries her as she’s now stuck living in the house with her abusive father, Lebanon. Seen as the rough-around-the-edges guy, Lebanon is known to beat his wife, so in the eyes of the church community, he may have something to do with Alice’s murder. But at the time of the murder, he was at his bakery, so police believe it’s a robbery gone wrong. He keeps busy by visiting his sick mother Sara in the hospital. Ruby, on the other hand, is trying to stay calm though her best friend Layla thinks otherwise. Layla asks for help from her pastor father, Rev. Jackson Potter, but he’s not quick to help Ruby. This perturbs Layla, who entrusts others to help her get Ruby out the house. In her desperate struggle to save her friend, Layla discovers buried secrets between her family and Ruby’s family that causes her to question everything, including who killed Alice King.
Because Ruby is 24-years-old, a bona fide adult, the story at first doesn’t explain why she feels she has to stay with her father after her mother is killed. Why can't she stay with Layla? It does a good job of showing Ruby slow to act in her grief while Layla speeds up her efforts. The desperation differs between the two friends with Ruby feeling she can handle the abuse and Layla wanting to end the abuse as soon as possible. Another storyline develops between Lebanon and Sara, who is very cruel to her son. Lebanon tries to figure out why his mother is the way she is, which becomes one of the buried secrets that turns the story upside down, but also shows the destruction he passed down to his household. The generational trauma and pain is so heavy on the Kings where abuse thrives in their home while the Potters ignore theirs and become successful leaders in the church. But Lebanon’s past took him to prison for another murder that Jackson was present at, so who killed that person becomes another mystery within the story. The inanimate object that plays a huge role in this story is the church. The author gives the church its own perspective as if the walls can talk—and listen.
Overall, the story unveils layers at different parts to explain why Ruby is pressured to stay home with Lebanon and his abuse, why Layla is so headstrong to save Ruby, and why Alice’s murder comes down to the buried secrets that changed the characters’ hearts.
This novel could not have come at a more appropriate time with the Black Lives Matter movement at the forefront of our national consciousness. And it’s wonderfully written! I loved that the church, Calvary Hope Christian, has a voice---it added to the sinisterness underlying the novel’s mysteries.
Ruby King and her family are trying to pick up the pieces of her mother’s recent murder, tragically inside their family home. The people in their Chicago South Side neighborhood believe that Ruby’s father, Lebanon, is responsible for Alice’s death. He had served time for killing a man and he had a hellacious temper. The neighbor’s know that Lebanon abused Alice and fear he is taking his rage out on Ruby.
Ruby’s best friend is Layla. Their mothers were close and their grandmothers even closer. Layla and her mother do what they can to protect Ruby. However, Lebanon is best friends with Layla’s father, pastor of the Church. Rev. Potter forbids Layla to interfer, yet readers get to watch him giving Lebanon large sums of money.
At the heart of this story is secrets and mysteries and the repercussions they inflict on the two families and te neighborhood.
I felt the novel got off to a slow start, but that was okay. It really ramped up about of the fourth of the way through. As Author West began to foreshadow the deepest and ugliest of the secrts, I think she gave away too much, as I had it figured out, without trying, before it was revealed. That diminished the climax somewhat for me. Therefore, “Saving Ruby King” gets 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
I had a bit of a difficult time getting into this one at first because there were so many different points of views and characters to keep track of, but it very quickly turned into a story that I could not put down. It's a powerful story that deals some pretty heavy topics, and the writing is absolutely captivating.
This book took my breath away. I was very unfamiliar with the story going in but it was easy to grab onto the plot fairly quickly. There were violence and sexual abuse (closed door) but it was appropriate for the storyline and I don't think it took away from the plot. I loved the divide of each character speaking for themselves which helped the story quickly move forward. It is a heartbreaking story but there is hope as well. Beautifully written and I look forward to more from the author in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.