Written in chronological vignettes spanning a year, Ruth’s vivid narration reads much like an intimate diary. To alleviate her mother’s stress, Ruth quits her job in San Francisco-reluctantly joining “the unmarried and careerless boat”-and moves back in with her parents to care for her irascible father, who, notwithstanding his failing memory and bizarre behaviors (such as carrying a urinal cake in his pocket), insists he’s fine. But instead of escaping her past, Ruth must face another obstacle upon arriving in Los Angeles-her father, esteemed history professor Howard Young, has Alzheimer’s disease, and it’s rapidly worsening. Now 30, single, and still raw from the jarring breakup (and the gutting knowledge that Joel has a new, undoubtedly cooler, girlfriend), Ruth returns to her family’s home for the holidays. Last June, Ruth Young was engaged and packing to move to a spacious apartment in Bernal Heights, San Francisco, when her fiance, Joel, broke the news that he wasn’t moving with her.
Former Lucky Peach executive editor Khong ( All About Eggs: Everything We Know About the World’s Most Important Food, 2017) whisks up a heartfelt family dramedy in a debut novel that ruminates on love, loss, and memory.
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