RUTH

Narrator Rebecca Lowman imbues Kate Riley's parabolic prose with verve and urgency. This ambitious debut unearths universalities of feminine curiosity from within the walls of a strict insular community. Ruth--a relentlessly inquisitive, slightly brainwashed member of a Christian communist cult in rural Michigan--is irresistible. While not overtly rebellious, she is mischievous. Her thoughts and various events within the community construct an effectively plotless but intellectually seductive mosaic of language, which Lowman parses with methodical precision. Her sharp delivery meets the clever and quick-witted social commentary head-on, charging forward throughout the decades of Ruth's small, hilarious, human experiences as she follows her intuition with a hound's tenacity. This novel chronicles a divine, fullhearted struggle toward a happy, meaningful life. K.L.L. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2025]