The Book of Ruth (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Book of Ruth is a novel by Jane Hamilton
. It won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award
for a best first novel in 1988 and was the Oprah's Book Club
selection for November 1996.
. All of her childhood, and most of her adult life, is spent wondering what would happen if she could get away. Her father, Elmer, left her family when she was ten, which makes her mother, May, very bitter. When she was younger, May dated a young, handsome Honey Creek man named Willard Jenson, and fell desperately in love with him. The two were married soon after, but Willard was called to war and he died during WWII, leaving May as a widow. May is extremely unhappy about Ruth, even in her childhood, because she is not like her brother, Matt. Matt is a year younger than Ruth and a genius, so he is allowed to skip a grade to be in the same class as Ruth. While Matt receives excellent grades, Ruth barely passes. Her teacher also discourages Ruth by asking why she is not like Matt.
Ruth is not very popular because of the way she dresses and for being so "dumb." Ruth is miserable for most of her childhood, but some of it is spent in the company of Mrs. Finch, a widowed old blind woman whom she helps out. She soon develops a love for classic literature when she listens to audiotapes with Mrs. Finch after school. Her Aunt Sid encourages this love for literature and becomes penpals with Ruth, as she and May do not get along.
Matt and Ruth both graduate from high school at the same time, with Ruth barely passing and Matt as the valedictorian. Matt then moves to Boston to study physics on a college scholarship, while Ruth stays in Honey Creek with May and works with her at the Dry Cleaners and participates on their bowling team where she is a local star. Ruth and May make two friends during this short time period: Deedee and her daughter Daisy. Deedee's son also follows her everywhere, and depends on her to take care of him - as he is overweight and does not work. Deedee's husband dies during the course of her friendship with May, and her daughter also gives birth as a teenager and then gives the baby up for adoption and runs away to another city where it is assumed that she works as a prostitute.
One night, Ruth and Daisy decide to go out (Daisy is considered a "wild child" and also sort of a tramp-she has many boyfriends). They end up wading through the waters of a lake and "borrowing" a row boat. On this night, they meet Ruth's future husband, Ruby.
Ruby Dahl and Daisy know each other through a court mandated course for drivers convicted of a DUI. Ruby has had problems keeping employment, beating up his boss, robbing the gas station where he worked and he does not possess the concentration needed to keep focused on a job. May refers to Ruby as "slow" on more than one occasion.
Ruby shows up at the bowling alley and the next day at the Dry Cleaners. He asks Ruth out and during the course of their date tricks Ruth into losing her virginity to him. After several dates they decide to get married.
Because Ruby doesn't have a job, he moves in with Ruth and May when they get married. Ruby has no guests at the wedding, as his mother has dementia and died from pneumonia shortly after moving to Florida with Ruby's father, and Ruby's father has no respect for his son. Ruby's two older sisters have minimal involvement with his life. It is revealed at this time that Ruby was a normal baby until his mother, while drunk, falls asleep in the bathtub with Ruby where he almost drowned.
May and Ruby do not get along, as Ruby wants to watch tv, tracks dirt on the floors and builds birdhouses painted vibrant colors. Ruth becomes very agitated as she envisions marriage as the end to her troubles and wants peace within the house. She discovers that she is pregnant and May becomes a warmer mother - advising Ruth to relax and coaching her on child rearing. Even May and Ruby get along much better during her pregnancy.
Ruth gives birth on New Year's to a baby boy whom she names Justin. She is instantly in love with her baby and enjoys spending time with him. Because of her promotion at the Dry Cleaners, she is required to work the most of all the family members, and is dismayed at the amount of time that May and Ruby are spending alone together and May's involvement with Justy.
Daisy surprises everyone by getting married and Aunt Sid's correspondence becomes spotty with Ruth. Ruth suspects that Aunt Sid is disappointed with her. She gets a chance to visit her when Ruby gets hit by a car and can not accompany Ruth to Chicago to see a Cub's game. She loves her visit and is dreading coming home.
She frequently has thoughts of escaping with Justin to the fruit orchards in Texas, where her father lives, to get away from Ruby, who is an alcoholic, and uses drugs and various pills, and who likes to frequent the pornography theatre and is getting demanding with Ruth, explaining that it is the law that she engage in sexual intercourse with him.
Just before Christmas Ruth discovers she is pregnant for the second time. Ruby is excited and they decide not to tell May or Justy. Things come to a head when Justin wants some Christmas baking kept in the freezer and May and Ruth don't want him to have any, so his teeth won't be rotten like Ruby's. Ruby becomes sullen and declares that he is the man of the house and tells Justin to get the sweets, so they can share them. May gets upset and Ruby attacks her, cornering her in the basement and eventually beating and strangling her to death. He turns on Ruth, and breaks her hands, and beats her. He stops short of killing her when Justin tells him to stop. He retires to the family room to watch tv. Ruth runs out to the neighbors and the police arrive. Ruby points to the basement and continues to watch tv.
Ruth is sent to a special hospital for mothers who are pregnant with special needs. She is consistently rude to the nurses and doctors and the preacher from Honey Creek. She learns that she is having another boy and she marvels at the fact that she gets to start over again.
Aunt Sid takes Ruth and Justin in. Justin has a hard time being with his mother and frequently has nightmares about the murder. The house is abandoned and Aunt Sid advises Ruth never to return. Ruth slowly heals and discovers a letter between Matt and Aunt Sid which outlines how horrible Ruth was to Matt in his childhood, his mother's overt fawning, Ruth's diminished intelligence and the trainwreck that was sure to happen after Ruth and Ruby's wedding. She is angry and confronts Aunt Sid, asking her what happened to Ruby and May. Ruth learns that May was dead when the police arrived and that Ruby is in a special hospital where he will never be released, as he has paranoid schizophrenia and the fact that he killed May because he thought the devil was inside her and that she was trying to put it into Justin.
The book ends with Ruth pining over her lost life, and how she has to move forward with her boys.
Jane Hamilton
Jane Hamilton is an American novelist.Hamilton lives in Rochester, Wisconsin. She grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, the youngest of five children. She graduated from Carleton College in 1979 as an English major. Her first published works were short stories, "My Own Earth" and "Aunt Marj's Happy...
. It won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award
Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award
The Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award is awarded annually to a novel or book of short stories by an American author who has not previously published a book of fiction. The award is named after Ernest Hemingway and funded by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, which has been administered by the Hemingway...
for a best first novel in 1988 and was the Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new novel for viewers to read and discuss each month. The Club ended its 15-year run, along with...
selection for November 1996.
Plot summary
A girl, Ruth, is growing up the small town of Honey Creek, IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. All of her childhood, and most of her adult life, is spent wondering what would happen if she could get away. Her father, Elmer, left her family when she was ten, which makes her mother, May, very bitter. When she was younger, May dated a young, handsome Honey Creek man named Willard Jenson, and fell desperately in love with him. The two were married soon after, but Willard was called to war and he died during WWII, leaving May as a widow. May is extremely unhappy about Ruth, even in her childhood, because she is not like her brother, Matt. Matt is a year younger than Ruth and a genius, so he is allowed to skip a grade to be in the same class as Ruth. While Matt receives excellent grades, Ruth barely passes. Her teacher also discourages Ruth by asking why she is not like Matt.
Ruth is not very popular because of the way she dresses and for being so "dumb." Ruth is miserable for most of her childhood, but some of it is spent in the company of Mrs. Finch, a widowed old blind woman whom she helps out. She soon develops a love for classic literature when she listens to audiotapes with Mrs. Finch after school. Her Aunt Sid encourages this love for literature and becomes penpals with Ruth, as she and May do not get along.
Matt and Ruth both graduate from high school at the same time, with Ruth barely passing and Matt as the valedictorian. Matt then moves to Boston to study physics on a college scholarship, while Ruth stays in Honey Creek with May and works with her at the Dry Cleaners and participates on their bowling team where she is a local star. Ruth and May make two friends during this short time period: Deedee and her daughter Daisy. Deedee's son also follows her everywhere, and depends on her to take care of him - as he is overweight and does not work. Deedee's husband dies during the course of her friendship with May, and her daughter also gives birth as a teenager and then gives the baby up for adoption and runs away to another city where it is assumed that she works as a prostitute.
One night, Ruth and Daisy decide to go out (Daisy is considered a "wild child" and also sort of a tramp-she has many boyfriends). They end up wading through the waters of a lake and "borrowing" a row boat. On this night, they meet Ruth's future husband, Ruby.
Ruby Dahl and Daisy know each other through a court mandated course for drivers convicted of a DUI. Ruby has had problems keeping employment, beating up his boss, robbing the gas station where he worked and he does not possess the concentration needed to keep focused on a job. May refers to Ruby as "slow" on more than one occasion.
Ruby shows up at the bowling alley and the next day at the Dry Cleaners. He asks Ruth out and during the course of their date tricks Ruth into losing her virginity to him. After several dates they decide to get married.
Because Ruby doesn't have a job, he moves in with Ruth and May when they get married. Ruby has no guests at the wedding, as his mother has dementia and died from pneumonia shortly after moving to Florida with Ruby's father, and Ruby's father has no respect for his son. Ruby's two older sisters have minimal involvement with his life. It is revealed at this time that Ruby was a normal baby until his mother, while drunk, falls asleep in the bathtub with Ruby where he almost drowned.
May and Ruby do not get along, as Ruby wants to watch tv, tracks dirt on the floors and builds birdhouses painted vibrant colors. Ruth becomes very agitated as she envisions marriage as the end to her troubles and wants peace within the house. She discovers that she is pregnant and May becomes a warmer mother - advising Ruth to relax and coaching her on child rearing. Even May and Ruby get along much better during her pregnancy.
Ruth gives birth on New Year's to a baby boy whom she names Justin. She is instantly in love with her baby and enjoys spending time with him. Because of her promotion at the Dry Cleaners, she is required to work the most of all the family members, and is dismayed at the amount of time that May and Ruby are spending alone together and May's involvement with Justy.
Daisy surprises everyone by getting married and Aunt Sid's correspondence becomes spotty with Ruth. Ruth suspects that Aunt Sid is disappointed with her. She gets a chance to visit her when Ruby gets hit by a car and can not accompany Ruth to Chicago to see a Cub's game. She loves her visit and is dreading coming home.
She frequently has thoughts of escaping with Justin to the fruit orchards in Texas, where her father lives, to get away from Ruby, who is an alcoholic, and uses drugs and various pills, and who likes to frequent the pornography theatre and is getting demanding with Ruth, explaining that it is the law that she engage in sexual intercourse with him.
Just before Christmas Ruth discovers she is pregnant for the second time. Ruby is excited and they decide not to tell May or Justy. Things come to a head when Justin wants some Christmas baking kept in the freezer and May and Ruth don't want him to have any, so his teeth won't be rotten like Ruby's. Ruby becomes sullen and declares that he is the man of the house and tells Justin to get the sweets, so they can share them. May gets upset and Ruby attacks her, cornering her in the basement and eventually beating and strangling her to death. He turns on Ruth, and breaks her hands, and beats her. He stops short of killing her when Justin tells him to stop. He retires to the family room to watch tv. Ruth runs out to the neighbors and the police arrive. Ruby points to the basement and continues to watch tv.
Ruth is sent to a special hospital for mothers who are pregnant with special needs. She is consistently rude to the nurses and doctors and the preacher from Honey Creek. She learns that she is having another boy and she marvels at the fact that she gets to start over again.
Aunt Sid takes Ruth and Justin in. Justin has a hard time being with his mother and frequently has nightmares about the murder. The house is abandoned and Aunt Sid advises Ruth never to return. Ruth slowly heals and discovers a letter between Matt and Aunt Sid which outlines how horrible Ruth was to Matt in his childhood, his mother's overt fawning, Ruth's diminished intelligence and the trainwreck that was sure to happen after Ruth and Ruby's wedding. She is angry and confronts Aunt Sid, asking her what happened to Ruby and May. Ruth learns that May was dead when the police arrived and that Ruby is in a special hospital where he will never be released, as he has paranoid schizophrenia and the fact that he killed May because he thought the devil was inside her and that she was trying to put it into Justin.
The book ends with Ruth pining over her lost life, and how she has to move forward with her boys.