I initially found Ruth’s life interesting to read about however as the book carried on, it became very bleak. I felt disconnected to Ruth and her life, the writing felt very stand off-ish and there was no real connection between the snapshots of her life that we saw. I have so many questions about certain aspects and finished the book feeling underwhelmed.

Ruth by Kate Riley brings us into the world of a religious community through the coming of age and family life of Ruth and how she understands the ways her upbringing has affected her outlook on life.

Kate Riley’s debut tells the story of Ruth, born into an Anabaptist community in 1963, following her through childhood, marriage and motherhood into middle age. There are strict rules in this pacifist, non-property-owning, strictly gendered sect where engagements are entered into only after a sanctioned exchange of letters between the prospective husband and wife. Ruth glimpses the outside world she put her toe in briefly in college through her husband’s travels sourcing supplies. He’s a steady man, if dull, tolerant of Ruth’s apparent eccentricities. Their three children respond in different ways to their sequestered life while Ruth remains an awkward observer who doesn’t quite fit in, unsure of what to answer when her son asks her if she’s happy.
Like Miriam Toews, who explores similar territory in a very different way, Riley grew up in the kind of community her characters inhabit. She unfolds her story in short, often impressionistic sections from Ruth's perspective rather than through her voice which works well, reinforcing her character as a questioning observer unable to quash her curiosity about the world and immerse herself in worship as the community requires. The narrative style is a little overwritten for me, but it’s lightened with a smart humour which kept me going and Ruth’s character is well drawn. She’s playful, clever, imaginative and not entirely accepting of the Brotherhood even as a child, a scepticism that deepens as she ages and at times falls into depression. It’s not Toews, although that’s setting the bar high, but I enjoyed this glimpse of a world I’m greatly relieved not to have been born into.