Cultural

Ruth & Pen

Ruth & Pen

  • Downloads：9420
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-25 08:51:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Emilie Pine
  • ISBN：0241573297
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Dublin， 7 October 2019。 One day， one city， two women: Ruth and Pen。 They don't know each other， but both are asking themselves the same questions: how to be with others， and how， when the world doesn't seem willing to make space for them， to be with themselves。

Ruth's marriage to Aidan is in crisis。 Today she needs to make a choice--to stay or not to stay， to take the risk of reaching out or to pull up the drawbridge。 For teenage Pen， today is the day the words will flow， and she will speak her truth to Alice， to ask for what she so desperately wants。 Deeply involving， poignant and radiantly intelligent， Ruth & Pen is a portrait of the limits of grief and love; of how we navigate our inner and outer landscapes; and the tender courage demanded by the simple， daily quest of living。

Download

Reviews

Nicoladuffy ，

Inhaled in a dayExcellent diverse characters All flawed except the wonderful Claire but easy to invest in despite their problems Thoroughly enjoyed

Jennifer ，

Recension kommer。

Alison Cairns ，

In some ways， why these two characters？ I was expecting more of an intertwining of their lives。 But on reflection， the way they do meet is skilfully written。 Ruth is a psychotherapist， at breaking point in her marriage to Aidan。 Pen is a 16 year old autistic teenager， exploring teenage love and friendship for the first time。 I thought the book dealt well with Pen's reactions to crowds， and other stimuli and it gave me an insight into what some situations may be like for my son。 Her relationship In some ways， why these two characters？ I was expecting more of an intertwining of their lives。 But on reflection， the way they do meet is skilfully written。 Ruth is a psychotherapist， at breaking point in her marriage to Aidan。 Pen is a 16 year old autistic teenager， exploring teenage love and friendship for the first time。 I thought the book dealt well with Pen's reactions to crowds， and other stimuli and it gave me an insight into what some situations may be like for my son。 Her relationship with her mum was the lynchpin of her life and reassured me in many ways。 Ruth is struggling with her own life and feelings， but still finds time to help Pen without even thinking， when she needs it。 A lovely story of two fragile lives。 #netgalley #ruthandpen 。。。more

h☆lly ，

Really reminded me of colleen hoovers writing style， which personally for me i dont enjoy but id recommend if you enjoy that。 I found this just tried to fit so many different things into a relatively short book that it felt a bit crammed in the last 40 pages。 （A sexual harrassment， one of the characters coming out and the other two characters having the argument the entire book was leading up to） I wish this book explored the nuances of each of these events and explored the characters thoughts i Really reminded me of colleen hoovers writing style， which personally for me i dont enjoy but id recommend if you enjoy that。 I found this just tried to fit so many different things into a relatively short book that it felt a bit crammed in the last 40 pages。 （A sexual harrassment， one of the characters coming out and the other two characters having the argument the entire book was leading up to） I wish this book explored the nuances of each of these events and explored the characters thoughts in more depth。 All in all i found it to be quite baseline and if youre looking for something easy to read， id recommend - but if youre looking for something with nuance or any element of prose i wouldnt recommend。 That being said， i finished this book in a day and if you just stumbled across it i wouldnt turn it down。 My main complaint was the last 3 pages so spoiler warning kind of - but the last three pages end with the 16 year old protagonist masturbating and it just kind of leaves a stale ending to an overall decent book。 I just finished the book and kind of felt like that was a bit unnecesary。 。。。more

The Grim Reader Podcast ，

It’s no secret that I loved Emilie Pine’s collection “Notes to Self，” and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her debut novel。 This does not disappoint， Pine’s incredible writing talent shines through as she presents a luminous and in-depth narrative on two women's’ lives。 Following two women， Ruth a therapist after building up her own practice， and Pen a fifteen year old girl who wants to have the best day of her life。 Pine switches beautifully between both characters and their narratives， and h It’s no secret that I loved Emilie Pine’s collection “Notes to Self，” and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her debut novel。 This does not disappoint， Pine’s incredible writing talent shines through as she presents a luminous and in-depth narrative on two women's’ lives。 Following two women， Ruth a therapist after building up her own practice， and Pen a fifteen year old girl who wants to have the best day of her life。 Pine switches beautifully between both characters and their narratives， and has created two wonderful real characters。 Pen worries about fitting in with everyone around her， something that we have all thought of in life。 Her autism is portrayed with sensitivity and shows how she views the world and those around her。 After suffering horrific bullying from her classmates， Pen begins to form a bond with Alice which becomes a very important part of her life。 Though for me， the most important relationship was the one she has with her mom。 Her mom， Claire， is her main support unit and is there for Pen no matter what。 In Ruth’s story we learn that she has struggled with IVF treatments， and has suffered several failed attempts。 This has put a strain on her marriage to a point where her husband might leave her。 It was very difficult at times reading of Ruth’s grief for a life that she won’t have， she is still grieving from the last failed IVF attempt。 This raw and painful grief is uncomfortable to witness， but it is a powerful story that needs to be told。 Both stories are raw and tender， with the reader falling in love with Ruth and Pen by the end of the book。 Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK for the copy of this book。 My review is honest and unbiased。 。。。more

꧁ ꕥ James ꕥ ꧂ ，

3。5 🌟 Emilie Pine’s debut character driven novel allows the reader to follow the lives of Ruth and Pen， two women who are at completely different stages of their lives， but are asking themselves the same questions。 I really enjoyed this character study， and it was definitely a short but punchy story。 Ultimately the writing fell flat for me and the themes and ideas were explored in an unoriginal way。 Definitely intrigued to the authors next works！

Michael Jopling ，

Ruth & Pen shares many themes and concerns with Emilie Pine's excellent essay collection from a couple of years ago， Notes to Self。 Like that book， it is vivid， precisely observed and often harrowing， but it's also a really engaging novel。 It's cleverly but unobtrusively structured， the chapters alternating initially between the central figures of Ruth， whose marriage is in trouble following difficulties with IVF， and Pen， a neurodivergent teenager who attends a climate demonstration with her fr Ruth & Pen shares many themes and concerns with Emilie Pine's excellent essay collection from a couple of years ago， Notes to Self。 Like that book， it is vivid， precisely observed and often harrowing， but it's also a really engaging novel。 It's cleverly but unobtrusively structured， the chapters alternating initially between the central figures of Ruth， whose marriage is in trouble following difficulties with IVF， and Pen， a neurodivergent teenager who attends a climate demonstration with her friend Alice。 Their paths overlap a couple of times over the course of a single day in Dublin （Joyce is invisible but inescapable） and chapters gradually also open up to some of the other characters， like Ruth's husband， Aidan， who is reluctant to return home from London， and Alice。 Pine manages to get beneath the surface of these figures， showing Ruth's grief at her inability to conceive and Pen's struggles to adapt herself to the world really well。 There are some lovely descriptions - such as as Ruth's mother's characterisation of Dublin as "a bit grubby， a bit corrupt， a bit beautiful' - which guide the reader through the anguish and confusion of the narrative。 It's not an easy read （who wants one of those？） but the ending is perhaps surprisingly closer to happy than sad and the sum of the novel is greater than its impressive component parts。 。。。more

Rachel ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 firstly， a huge thank you to penguin for the unexpected proof of such a unique and intriguing debut。 having heard much excitement around emilie pine's critically acclaimed collection of essays， notes to self， i was equally as fascinated by her foray into fiction。 ruth and pen is an honest novel， concerned with the intricacies of expectations， identity and how our lives and selves appear in the eyes of others。 told over the course of one 24 hour period in dublin， the novel follows the two titular firstly， a huge thank you to penguin for the unexpected proof of such a unique and intriguing debut。 having heard much excitement around emilie pine's critically acclaimed collection of essays， notes to self， i was equally as fascinated by her foray into fiction。 ruth and pen is an honest novel， concerned with the intricacies of expectations， identity and how our lives and selves appear in the eyes of others。 told over the course of one 24 hour period in dublin， the novel follows the two titular characters， who have no connection to one another as they grapple with who they are， what this means for the relationships they have with those around them and how to move forward。 tw: self-harm， bullying， miscarriage， discussions of infertility and suicide。 ruth's marriage is barely holding on。 as a psychiatrist， she attempts to piece together the fractured lives and minds of her clients， yet after countless cycles of failed ivf treatments， she is struggling to do the same for herself。 questioning her role as a wife and a woman， in a country where outdated patriarchal and religious institutions force women into a mould of expectation， she has lost sight of who she is。 those around her， including her husband， fail to ease the silence of uncertainty and things they cannot say to one another。 when she cannot fall into the veil of social and marital expectation， what is left for her to do？across dublin， a young neurodiverse teenager， pen is fighting a similar battle。 her therapist is constantly reminding her to ground herself， to let go of presumptions and allow herself to just be。 but recovering from trauma isn't that simple， especially when the world around you is in danger。 seeking comfort in her friend alice， pen is ready to blur the lines between platonic and romantic。 but what if alice doesn't feel the same？ when her world is crashing in， pen cannot breathe。 how is anyone supposed to look ahead， name what they can see or smell when there is so much uncertainty outside the door？pine's ability to incorporate so many different aspects to both character's stories is impressive。 i particularly enjoyed the subtle differences between pen's narrative voice and ruth's and it is evident that pine has a full understanding of neurodivergency and how there is no homogeny in the experiences of the individual。 for me， pen felt the most fully realised of the two characters - her concerns about climate change and the frank discussions of sexuality between her and alice were some of the most genuine conversations throughout the book。 her relationship with her mother was reminiscent of many young people today， both tender and infuriating。 in contrast， although there were certain aspects of ruth's story that i enjoyed， including the uncompromising relationship between her and her husband， i struggled to really understand much of who she was as a person。 it felt like there were too many layers to be unlocked and the length of the novel really factors into this。 at times， it felt like there were too many things going on; many characters that are named and personified， but very little to distinguish them from others; varying degrees of social commentary and critique peppered throughout yet never fully realised。 what i struggled with the most was the lack of connection between the two characters， except through similar themes。 it felt like two very different stories taking place within one novel and because of the quick pacing of the novel itself， their brief encounter is not enough to link them。 i can understand what connects these two women at very different stages of their lives， but i wish the novel were slightly longer or more fleshed out to fully realise and explore this connection。 although her fiction may not be for me， i've heard outstanding things about pine's essays so i endeavour to venture into this collection next！ hopefully， it will elevate my thoughts about the novel as there is no debating that pine is a talented author。 。。。more

Grace ，

A huge， huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an arc of this truly anticipated read。 When I first saw that Emilie Pine was coming out with a novel， I genuinely squealed with excitement。 I am truly obsessed with her essay collection， Notes to Self， so I could not wait to get my greedy little hands on this。 She did not disappoint :） Ruth and Pen are both living in Ireland， and we the readers， are treated to a day in their lives， and their heads。 Ruth is an older woman who runs her own clinic A huge， huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an arc of this truly anticipated read。 When I first saw that Emilie Pine was coming out with a novel， I genuinely squealed with excitement。 I am truly obsessed with her essay collection， Notes to Self， so I could not wait to get my greedy little hands on this。 She did not disappoint :） Ruth and Pen are both living in Ireland， and we the readers， are treated to a day in their lives， and their heads。 Ruth is an older woman who runs her own clinical practice， but is dealing with her own emotional fallout from a tumultuous marriage and difficulties conceiving。Pen is a neurodivergent sixteen year old girl who is trying to spend the day on a date with the girl she's interested in。 I truly loved the layout of this novel。 With the protagonists only brushing up against each other， with the chapter titles being different minutes of the day， with different points of view feeding into the reader's experience but highlighting how everyday communication and relationships can never be fully known by other people， it was an astounding read。 I think it's even more impactful if you've read Notes to Self and you know about Pine's own experiences， which have definitely shaped this novel。 I thought that she was very clever in how she presented drastically different characters to help highlight the point that - you can never really know what's going on in someone else's life。 It's a character-driven novel for sure， so if you're looking for plot， this is not the place。 But I think there's a lot of information to digest in this， and it's left me more aware than I was going into it。 I will love anything Pine does， truly。 。。。more

Deborah ，

Dublin - 7th October 2019， two women， Ruth and Pen 。They are strangers but their paths cross briefly on the day， both are at very different stages in their life but both are questioning their lives， their place in the world and the people they share their world with。 Ruth has just been through her 4th unsuccessful attempt at IVF， her marriage to Adam is at breaking point。 She needs to decide if she should stay or go。 Pen is 16 and neurodiverse， she has taken the day off school to attend a climat Dublin - 7th October 2019， two women， Ruth and Pen 。They are strangers but their paths cross briefly on the day， both are at very different stages in their life but both are questioning their lives， their place in the world and the people they share their world with。 Ruth has just been through her 4th unsuccessful attempt at IVF， her marriage to Adam is at breaking point。 She needs to decide if she should stay or go。 Pen is 16 and neurodiverse， she has taken the day off school to attend a climate change protest with her friend Alice， today is the day she will tell Alice how she feels about her。 I loved every word of Notes To Self。 I inhaled it in one go， reading till the middle of the night。 I was excited when I heard Emilie Pine was writing her first novel and gave a little yelp of excitement when notification of this advance reader copy landed in my inbox。 Once again， Emilie Pine's writing demanded my full attention ， impossible to put down once you start。This book is an incredible character study。 Through Pine's assured sentences， we get to know Ruth and Pen and can feel the weight they are carrying。 The love and grief and indecision and tentative hope is captured so perfectly。 I could feel what they are feeling when reading， it takes immense skill to write two characters with such depth and accuracy。 Pen's mother Claire is very much a secondary character in the book， her presence is in the background yet she is one of the best characters I have read in a long time。 Despite her scant appearance in the pages her character brings such reassurance ，wisdom ， and love。Pine also quietly portrays Dublin in all its current condition of faded glory， the after effects of poor planning， its destruction and potential and captures that nostalgia that temporarily overwhelms you at times suddenly when you walk through a city you have spent your life walking though， exquisitely。 This book had me from its beginning but it's the final quarter that I found truly wonderful。 The book sweeps to its crescendo， with tension， emotion and had me holding my breath at parts leaving me feeling both bereft and optimistic when I finished reading。 I hope Ruth and Pen are ok out there。 I will genuinely think about them when I am walking through town。 4。5 stars with a 5 star ending。 。。。more

Andrea ，

Ruth and Pen is set over a single day， following the lives of Ruth， a counsellor （who’s been undergoing IVF and has a disintegrating marriage to Aiden） and Pen， a neuro-diverse teenager （who’s in love with her best friend， Alice） We follow Ruth as she works and attends hospital and Pen as she takes part in a climate change rally。 The book reveals the complexity of their inner lives， both of them lonely and finding it difficult to relate to others。 The character portrayal is intense and the whole Ruth and Pen is set over a single day， following the lives of Ruth， a counsellor （who’s been undergoing IVF and has a disintegrating marriage to Aiden） and Pen， a neuro-diverse teenager （who’s in love with her best friend， Alice） We follow Ruth as she works and attends hospital and Pen as she takes part in a climate change rally。 The book reveals the complexity of their inner lives， both of them lonely and finding it difficult to relate to others。 The character portrayal is intense and the whole is beautifully written。 There’s pain and love - it honestly shows human vulnerability and how we struggle to live our lives， how we struggle to be。 It took me a while to connect with the characters but I enjoyed it， once I did。 Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC。 All views are my own。 。。。more

Joachim Stoop ，

In 3 months I will see this title and deeply wonder if I've read it or not。 There are real people and problems at its core， but almost all the dialogues and inner monologues about daily and wordly issues （climate， teenage and marital crisis） are so average and unoriginal。 In 3 months I will see this title and deeply wonder if I've read it or not。 There are real people and problems at its core， but almost all the dialogues and inner monologues about daily and wordly issues （climate， teenage and marital crisis） are so average and unoriginal。 。。。more

Sofie De Smyter ，

4。5， such an honest book， so kind although that's probably a weird thing to say about a book， but it did feel like an embrace 4。5， such an honest book， so kind although that's probably a weird thing to say about a book， but it did feel like an embrace 。。。more

Alwynne ，

Better known as an essay-writer mining aspects of her own life， Emilie Pine’s now turned her attention to fiction。 Her debut novel unfolds over a single day in Dublin， in 2019。 Pine’s influences range from the obvious Ulysses and Mrs Dalloway to the lesser-known David Park’s Travelling in a strange land。 Her story centres on two， seemingly-unconnected women， Ruth who’s 43 and a therapist， and schoolgirl Pen who’s 16 and working out how to negotiate her world。 Pine’s chapters move between voices， Better known as an essay-writer mining aspects of her own life， Emilie Pine’s now turned her attention to fiction。 Her debut novel unfolds over a single day in Dublin， in 2019。 Pine’s influences range from the obvious Ulysses and Mrs Dalloway to the lesser-known David Park’s Travelling in a strange land。 Her story centres on two， seemingly-unconnected women， Ruth who’s 43 and a therapist， and schoolgirl Pen who’s 16 and working out how to negotiate her world。 Pine’s chapters move between voices， primarily Ruth’s and Pen’s but also those of people close to them。Ruth’s narrative builds on Pine’s own experiences with infertility and miscarriage， as well as her research while writer-in-residence at Dublin’s National Maternity Hospital。 These experiences have shaken Ruth to the core， leaving her future with husband Aidan uncertain。 As she awaits Aidan’s return from a business trip， Ruth’s thoughts are filled with doubts and confusion about what’s next for them。 On her journeys through the city， she crosses paths with Pen who’s skipped school to take part in a climate change protest。 Pen’s autistic and grappling with what that means for her， she’s also in the throes of first love， and part of her plan for this day is to declare her feelings for her schoolfriend Alice。 Pine’s tightly focused on her characters’ inner thoughts， their self-doubts， miscommunications or sense of being alone - the very things that also link them。 But she also presents， particularly in Ruth’s sections， a striking portrait of Dublin itself。 It’s a very fluid， readable piece but it’s also slightly uneven。 Although there are definite modernist tinges and some excellent passages， there are a number of elements that didn’t quite work for me here。 Despite the nods to Woolf and Dickinson， this is ultimately quite a conventional book， that at times reminded me more of work by writers like Maggie O’Farrell and Tessa Hadley。 That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it’s also not quite to my taste。 There’s also a rather earnest feel to Pen’s episodes， an impression that Pen’s very much a research-based representation of neuro-atypicality: the depiction of her behaviour， her interests in climate change， as well as other traits – suggestive of well-known figures like Greta Thunberg – leans a little towards cliché at times。 So， for me， it’s a well-meaning， carefully-constructed portrayal but not always a particularly smooth， or entirely convincing， one。 So overall， I had mixed feelings about this， it’s a fairly well-crafted piece but the pieces don’t always fit together as well as they might， not unusual in a first novel。 However， it’s also quite gripping， there are some outstanding passages， some more-than-promising prose， as well as an admirable commitment to dealing with emotionally complex material。 Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Hamish Hamilton for an ARCRating: 3/3。5 rounded up 。。。more

Paradise ，

3。5A slow start， but works itself into a beautiful examination of the difference between the way we feel， how we are perceived and who we choose to be。 The inner monologues are a little lengthy， but we all struggle with our internal feelings， versus what we actually say and do。Full review to come。

Stephen Dilley ，

In her tender and intimate debut novel 'Ruth & Pen'， Emilie Pine gives a day in two lives which explores themes including relationships， the female body and neurodiversity with great sensitivity。 The novel takes place on 7th October 2019 in Dublin。 Ruth is a therapist whose marriage to Aidan may be over。 Pen is a thoughtful and intelligent 16-year-old with autism who is planning to spend the day at an Extinction Rebellion protest with her best friend， Alice， with whom she hopes to become more th In her tender and intimate debut novel 'Ruth & Pen'， Emilie Pine gives a day in two lives which explores themes including relationships， the female body and neurodiversity with great sensitivity。 The novel takes place on 7th October 2019 in Dublin。 Ruth is a therapist whose marriage to Aidan may be over。 Pen is a thoughtful and intelligent 16-year-old with autism who is planning to spend the day at an Extinction Rebellion protest with her best friend， Alice， with whom she hopes to become more than friends。 Ruth and Pen's stories largely unfold independently of each other， although they have a couple of brief but meaningful encounters which avoid feeling contrived。 We also spend some time with Aidan， Alice and Pen's mother Claire。 The device of following different character's lives across a single day in a single city dates back to 'Ulysses' and 'Mrs Dalloway'， the latter of which Pine references， and has been employed by plenty of writers since， but that's probably because it usually works。 I certainly found this a totally absorbing novel and felt very invested in both Ruth and Pen's lives。 Pine's characters are all drawn with real compassion and generosity which prevent the novel from becoming overly bleak even when it deals with themes such as miscarriage and self-harm， At the same time， Pine avoids becoming clichéd and sentimental - I found the climax of the novel deeply moving and redemptive but not in the way that I expected。 Overall， I found this a beautiful novel full of pain， love and healing。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review。 。。。more

Erin ，

This is a succulent little book。 'Ruth & Pen' is timid yet doughty， spiritful and unshrinking。 The eponymous characters serve to relate such wet-hearted honesty， and Emilie Pine's vision is something out of the ordinary。 Her image-working imbues workaday acts， matters， incidents， with tremendous meaning and all of it rings true。Pine should be most proud of her even， open and demystifying representation of women's experiences of what it means to be able or not able to bear children; and of women' This is a succulent little book。 'Ruth & Pen' is timid yet doughty， spiritful and unshrinking。 The eponymous characters serve to relate such wet-hearted honesty， and Emilie Pine's vision is something out of the ordinary。 Her image-working imbues workaday acts， matters， incidents， with tremendous meaning and all of it rings true。Pine should be most proud of her even， open and demystifying representation of women's experiences of what it means to be able or not able to bear children; and of women's experiences of homosexuality and asexuality。 I was pleased that Pine shifts her females' concerns away from women-in-Ireland's experiences of being a woman in Ireland， as she lets Ruth， Pen， Claire， Alice， Lisa， Soraya， Jo， and the 'woman-therapist' stand as universal types， rather to explore the tiny messes and the big messes of living。Emilie Pine traces Dublin like the lines on your palm; I have no doubt that I'll think of Ruth the next time I'm in the National Gallery of Ireland， and of Pen when I'm next by the Hugh Lane。My sincere gratitude to Hamish Hamilton for the opportunity to read and review an ARC via Netgalley。 。。。more

Cathy Geagan ，

“But all the ruined women， Ruth thinks。 We can’t all run away to cottages in the woods， the place would be fucking packed。”Ruth is a therapist whose marriage is imploding， collapsing inwards under the weight of grief from multiple miscarriages and failed rounds of IVF。 Pen is a neurodivergent teenager crushed by the weight of the climate crisis， but nursing a seed of hope that her best friend Alice also wants to be more than friends。 Neither knows the other， but both are asking the same question “But all the ruined women， Ruth thinks。 We can’t all run away to cottages in the woods， the place would be fucking packed。”Ruth is a therapist whose marriage is imploding， collapsing inwards under the weight of grief from multiple miscarriages and failed rounds of IVF。 Pen is a neurodivergent teenager crushed by the weight of the climate crisis， but nursing a seed of hope that her best friend Alice also wants to be more than friends。 Neither knows the other， but both are asking the same questions: how to be with others and how， when the world won't make space for you， to be with yourself？As they criss cross Dublin， Ruth & Pen weigh up their options both in their own lives and in the broader world。 These completely different women are beautifully realised and totally authentic， and Pine’s writing places us completely in their worldview。 My heart broke for both of them as my mind opened up to new ways of looking at the world through their eyes。 This is both a powerful character study and a love song to Dublin， which hasn’t been as lovingly or realistically rendered in writing since Ulysses。I went into this worried it could not live up to Emilie Pine’s exquisite non-fiction debut ‘Notes to Self’， and then devoured it in one sitting。 It is just gorgeous。 I’ve included one of my favourite quotes below， but honestly I could have highlighted half the book。 This is a strong contender for my book of the year。“She doesn’t say that what people call resilient is actually just a shell you build so that no one can see you on the inside。 She doesn’t say that resilience is an excuse， for people who don’t want to actually do the thing that would help you not-be-vulnerable。 She doesn’t say that grit is actually an idea to make other people feel better for sending out into the world to get hurt， over and over。 None of this is said because if you said it then you were not being resilient。 Sometimes it is the absence of resilience that makes things beautiful。 Sometimes being ‘thin-skinned’ means you can feel the beautiful things more。” 。。。more

Aoife Cassidy McMenamin ，

Oh I loved this one！ I picked it up a month ago and just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for it。 I started it again yesterday and read it in two sittings。 Lots of you will have read Emilie Pine’s brilliant non-fiction Notes to Self， a candid， intimate book of essays on various subjects including infertility， a subject that is at the heart of this， her debut novel。 The book follows two characters， Ruth， a 43 year old psychotherapist whose marriage to Aidan is crumbling as they both try to deal Oh I loved this one！ I picked it up a month ago and just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for it。 I started it again yesterday and read it in two sittings。 Lots of you will have read Emilie Pine’s brilliant non-fiction Notes to Self， a candid， intimate book of essays on various subjects including infertility， a subject that is at the heart of this， her debut novel。 The book follows two characters， Ruth， a 43 year old psychotherapist whose marriage to Aidan is crumbling as they both try to deal with the pain of infertility， and Pen， a 16 year old neurodiverse girl who has a big day ahead of her with a climate change protest and a planned declaration of love to her best friend Alice。 This quiet， intimate story unfolds over the course of a day in Dublin， and gives such a relatable， painful insight into these women’s minds and their hopes and dreams。 Complex issues like infertility， miscarriage， sexuality， neurodiversity and difficult relationships are explored in the book， and there’s a candour and vulnerability to how Pine approaches them。 There was one particular chapter that was very raw and relatable （do note the content warnings below）。 Lest we needed a reminder， the book teaches us that nobody is perfect， we all have our struggles that we carry with us。 It’s a book that feels deeply personal， a tale told from the heart。 Buy it and sob by the pool on your hols - but please do note the content warnings below。 4/5 ⭐️ ** ⚠️ CW: infertility， miscarriage， failed IVF *Ruth and Pen by Emilie Pine will be published on 12 May 2022。 I read an advance digital copy courtesy of the publishers @penguinbooks @hamishhamilton @figtreebooks via @netgalley。* 。。。more

Solenn ，

Ruth and Pen is a beautiful， intense story set on a single summer’s day in Dublin 2019 where two unconnected women， who are at entirely places in their lives， cross paths at a climate change protest。We first meet Ruth， a 40-something therapist getting ready for work and worrying about her marriage which is the rocks after the stresses of a number of failed IVF cycles。 Her husband hasn’t come home and she doesn’t know if there is a way forward for them anymore？Pen is a neuro divergent teenage gir Ruth and Pen is a beautiful， intense story set on a single summer’s day in Dublin 2019 where two unconnected women， who are at entirely places in their lives， cross paths at a climate change protest。We first meet Ruth， a 40-something therapist getting ready for work and worrying about her marriage which is the rocks after the stresses of a number of failed IVF cycles。 Her husband hasn’t come home and she doesn’t know if there is a way forward for them anymore？Pen is a neuro divergent teenage girl who is about to have the best day of her life。 She’s off to a climate change march with her best friend Alice， who she wants to be more than friend’s with but is struggling with how to express her feelings！ Pen is a fascinating young woman who wants to be normal but struggles to form friendships， communicate and needs routine to function。 There is a description of horrific bullying by her “school friends” which shocked me and you just feel so happy for her that since then she has formed this bond with Alice。 Pen’s greatest support though is her incredible mother who just shines in her ability to support her daughter and is the best possible ally Pen could have。 Emilie Pine works her magic in how she expresses the impact of IVF on Ruth and Aiden’s marriage。 It is so powerfully conveyed and really had me tearing up as both characters deal with the range of emotions from anger to grief at a life that won’t be for them。This is an incredibly moving book which I read in one sitting as it pulled me in right from the get-go。 It is due to be published on 5 May 2022 and I would highly recommend getting your hands on it as it’s an absolutely beautifully told story and a really authentic depiction of Dublin。 。。。more

Sarah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Thanks to Hamish Hamilton and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book。I liked the concept of Ruth & Pen – following two very different people through just one day of their lives， even with minimal contact with one another。 Both characters do a huge service to diversity in literature， as they approach subjects （neurodiversity and infertility） that are not spoken about enough within books。 Pine’s fragmented， stream-of-consciousness writing style reflected the protagonists’ own thought process Thanks to Hamish Hamilton and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book。I liked the concept of Ruth & Pen – following two very different people through just one day of their lives， even with minimal contact with one another。 Both characters do a huge service to diversity in literature， as they approach subjects （neurodiversity and infertility） that are not spoken about enough within books。 Pine’s fragmented， stream-of-consciousness writing style reflected the protagonists’ own thought processes， but I did find myself either lost or skimming because some parts were so tangential。 I also didn’t connect much to Ruth’s story; the blurb gives you very little information， and I was expecting an assessment of a marriage in crisis – which there is， it centres almost solely on the need/inability to have biological children。 As a happily childless woman who plans to stay so， I wasn’t much interested。 However， this is more of a “me” problem than one with the book。 Considering its length， I would’ve liked to have seen Ruth and her husband consider alternative routes too – they never address the fact that there are many ways to be a mother without carrying the child yourself。 I’m torn between wanting to celebrate the unusual format and subject matter/s， and knowing that I wasn’t in any hurry to pick it up。 。。。more

Taliana ，

CONTENT WARNING: miscarriage （detailed description of the event and subsequent emotional fallout）， failed IVFThis book lacks and desperately needs a content warning for miscarriage。 Even the blurb does not hint that one of the characters has gone through this。 As someone who had a full-term stillbirth 18 years ago， I still found the detailed description of the miscarriage itself incredibly upsetting and I can only imagine the harm this may cause to someone who has more recently gone through anyt CONTENT WARNING: miscarriage （detailed description of the event and subsequent emotional fallout）， failed IVFThis book lacks and desperately needs a content warning for miscarriage。 Even the blurb does not hint that one of the characters has gone through this。 As someone who had a full-term stillbirth 18 years ago， I still found the detailed description of the miscarriage itself incredibly upsetting and I can only imagine the harm this may cause to someone who has more recently gone through anything similar。I may have chosen to not read the book had I realised it was in there。===Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC。Ruth and Pen follows two Irish women in Dublin - Ruth， a therapist in a failing marriage， and Pen， an autistic teenager trying to navigate the world and her social circles。 The entire story takes place in the course of a single day， with the two characters in their vastly different circles crossing paths briefly the way that any strangers in a city might。This book is very much not the genre nor writing style that I would normally gravitate towards。 Nevertheless， it was compelling enough （and a quick and easy enough read） that I finished it anyway。While I am Ruth's age， I could not relate to this character at all。 I have had a similar traumatic experience but my common ground with Ruth ends there。 I found her quite dreary， pathetic at times， frustrating at others。 I had no investment in her life or her marriage。 I also felt that she lacked any real personality - her grief and her failing marriage seemed to be her only real character traits。 Her life seemed painfully boring， too。I identified much more with Pen， perhaps because I am also neurodivergent。 She had much more personality， and I was invested in her plans， her feelings， her hopes。 I enjoyed seeing myself and my feelings reflected in Pen in some of the situations she was in。Although I can't relate to Ruth， I do have to say that I found the situations each character were in were very realistic。 It was very "normal people" stuff， things that you might have experienced yourself or know someone else who has。 The way people reacted in each of these situations was very real， too， very human。The writing style itself though is very much not for me - I felt constantly bombarded by the stream of consciousness。 The writing style felt so loud in my head， like it was just a never ending waterfall of thoughts and words。 I don't like it when my head is loud！ 。。。more

Donna ，

Ruth & Pen by Emilie PineA day in the life of Ruth， a therapist who wonders if her marriage to Aidan is over now that they won't have children， and Pen， a neurodiverse 16 year old who wonders if best friend Alice feels the same way。 Set in Dublin against the backdrop of a climate strike， we follow these women and their internal dialogues over the course of the day。Fabulous！ Loved the characters， the setting， the insight into their thoughts， feelings and dilemmas。。。 everything！ Special place in m Ruth & Pen by Emilie PineA day in the life of Ruth， a therapist who wonders if her marriage to Aidan is over now that they won't have children， and Pen， a neurodiverse 16 year old who wonders if best friend Alice feels the same way。 Set in Dublin against the backdrop of a climate strike， we follow these women and their internal dialogues over the course of the day。Fabulous！ Loved the characters， the setting， the insight into their thoughts， feelings and dilemmas。。。 everything！ Special place in my heart for Pen and Claire - I'd love to read more about them。 Very highly recommended。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book。 。。。more

Jean ，

Ruth and Pen by Emilie Pine 4⭐️Ruth and Pen is a gentle and insightful character study of a small group of people on a day in 2019。 We meet Ruth as she awakens Monday morning 。 Memories of her previous night before and what lies ahead dominate her waking thoughts as she prepares for her first client 。 Ruth a therapist， helps process other peoples problems for them 。 These help distract from her own temporarily but then inevitably she keeps coming back to her last conversations with her husband A Ruth and Pen by Emilie Pine 4⭐️Ruth and Pen is a gentle and insightful character study of a small group of people on a day in 2019。 We meet Ruth as she awakens Monday morning 。 Memories of her previous night before and what lies ahead dominate her waking thoughts as she prepares for her first client 。 Ruth a therapist， helps process other peoples problems for them 。 These help distract from her own temporarily but then inevitably she keeps coming back to her last conversations with her husband Aidan 。 Will her marriage last the day ？16 year old Pen is getting ready to attend an environmental protest with her best friend Alice 。 She wants to be more than friends with Alice but how will she know what Alice wants ？This was a beautifully written and poignant story of relationships and how they form us 。 The author did an excellent portrayal of how infertility affects a couple and we are left with a feeling of closure after a day of emotional guilt ， anger and sorrow for what could have been 。 Claire ， mother to Penn comes across as a particularly strong and capable mother who understands her daughter more than she will ever know 。 Thanks to NetGalley for an arc for an honest review 。 Ruth and Pen is released 5 th May 2022。 。。。more

Chris Haak ，

Update: I'm giving this 5 stars after all。 I simply liked it too much for 4 stars。4 stars so far， but maybe I’ll change it to 5 later one as I just can’t get Pen and Ruth out of my head。 This is a beautiful debut about love， vulnerability， honesty， and being; it’s about life really。Thank you Hamish Hamilton and Netgalley UK for the ARC。 Update: I'm giving this 5 stars after all。 I simply liked it too much for 4 stars。4 stars so far， but maybe I’ll change it to 5 later one as I just can’t get Pen and Ruth out of my head。 This is a beautiful debut about love， vulnerability， honesty， and being; it’s about life really。Thank you Hamish Hamilton and Netgalley UK for the ARC。 。。。more

Mike Jones ，

Ruth & Pen is a gentle and poignant book that allows us inside the heads of several characters - though mostly the two title protagonists - over the course of Monday 7 October， 2019， a fairly unremarkable day for the future history books one imagines （and seemingly confirmed by Google）。 We are in Dublin and the time-stamped chapters pass by smoothly as a therapist and teenage girl wander about the messy （but plausible） grooves and pathways of their ordinary-yet-vivid， lives。 They intersect twice Ruth & Pen is a gentle and poignant book that allows us inside the heads of several characters - though mostly the two title protagonists - over the course of Monday 7 October， 2019， a fairly unremarkable day for the future history books one imagines （and seemingly confirmed by Google）。 We are in Dublin and the time-stamped chapters pass by smoothly as a therapist and teenage girl wander about the messy （but plausible） grooves and pathways of their ordinary-yet-vivid， lives。 They intersect twice， fairly briefly and neither gives much thought to these particular encounters in the hours afterwards。（Should I stress Ulysses at this point？ Or Mrs Dalloway？ Probably not as I've never read the former and have only a vague recollection of the latter but both flitted across my mind whilst reading this。）I never really see the point of recapping the plot， but I did find that the generational difference in the characters produced some interesting perspectives， and Emilie Pine teases out some understated， perhaps lightly ironic parallels。 Ruth and her husband have been unable to have a baby in spite of the best medical efforts， and their childlessness is causing all manner of emotional disintegration and communication failures between them， as they try to come to terms with a future sans enfants。 Meanwhile， Pen - 16 years old and with more than enough going on in her own head - is attending XR rallies and dealing with her own neurodiversity， whilst coming to terms with the usual teenage angsty stuff as well as being someone whose existence has likely contributed， through no fault of her own， to various pressures and strains on her parents' （now-ended） marriage。 Both Ruth & Pen crave to be understood， and profoundly 'known' by the people who care for them and they care for， and whilst it's perhaps somewhat clichéd to wonder whether this isn't， deep down， merely something to which we all aspire， there is plenty of authorial skill on display as we gain genuine insight into what these characters feel， and worry and think about。It isn't a life-changing book， but ironically that's perhaps where its power and charm lie。 As the hours slip by， so I found myself remaining engaged by these characters and wondering quite how， or indeed if， anything might be resolved by day's end。 （Are life's tangled knots ever conveniently resolved just before we are overtaken by sleep？ Perhaps sometimes sufficiently to allow us to wake up the following morning with a sense of hopeful possibility。） Emilie Pine writes economically， and with understated grace; overall I found this to be maybe slightly meandering in parts - not unlike life！ - but delicately sketched and worth persisting with。 With thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchanged for an unbiased review。 。。。more

Philippa ，

The fictional debut of an author I've heard a lot about and was intrigued to read， Ruth and Pen follows a day in the life of two Dubliners - psychologist Ruth who is in her mid-late thirties， and Pen who is a teenager who cares passionately about the climate and various other social and environmental issues。 If you enjoy a novel that feels like you're in the skin of two people at a crossroads in their very different lives， where their every thought and move is made accessible to you， then you wi The fictional debut of an author I've heard a lot about and was intrigued to read， Ruth and Pen follows a day in the life of two Dubliners - psychologist Ruth who is in her mid-late thirties， and Pen who is a teenager who cares passionately about the climate and various other social and environmental issues。 If you enjoy a novel that feels like you're in the skin of two people at a crossroads in their very different lives， where their every thought and move is made accessible to you， then you will enjoy this literary novel。 For me， one of the characters was far more interesting than the other and while I appreciated the thematic intention of the dual storylines， I was impatient for the narrative to return to the character I found more appealing， but even her story got a bit bleak for me！ Having said that， it's well written， but could have been more poignant and had more impact had the narrative just focused on one character。 So， overall， a bit of a mixed bag for me。With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC。 。。。more

Becca ，

This book took a while to get into and I wasn't sure I was going to like it but it turned out to be such a rich character study of two people at completely different points in their lives that I couldn't stop reading it。 It follows Ruth， a woman who doesn't know if her husband Aidan is going to leave her after they grow apart when they struggle to conceive。 It also follows Pen， an autistic 16 year old with a crush on her best friend Alice。 The book takes us through a day in Ruth and Pen's lives， This book took a while to get into and I wasn't sure I was going to like it but it turned out to be such a rich character study of two people at completely different points in their lives that I couldn't stop reading it。 It follows Ruth， a woman who doesn't know if her husband Aidan is going to leave her after they grow apart when they struggle to conceive。 It also follows Pen， an autistic 16 year old with a crush on her best friend Alice。 The book takes us through a day in Ruth and Pen's lives， where they cross paths twice。 I just found it really， really emotional and real the whole way through。 Ruth and Pen are in such different situations but they are also so linked。 Ah， I think I'll be thinking about these characters for a while。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Ruth & Pen

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Ruth & Pen&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Ruth & Pen&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0