Ruby tells the story of Ruby Bell and Ephram Jennings, they first meet when they are children and we come back to them as adults. Despite the heart that somebody mistakenly decided to put on this spine - this isn't a romance! A love story yes, but most definitely NOT a romance. Ephram has never forgotten Ruby and he's loved her his whole life. He eventually comes to a point in his life when he decides to act on his feelings, to try and help her out of the situation she's in and the story begins there. I was more than a little taken aback when I'd been reading for a while, the blurb didn't indicate at all just how much violence is in the book, obviously, I saw the heart, thought 'right a romance', but an angsty one, the blurb mentions her confronting her 'devastating violence of her past'. So I figured Ruby would be working some shit out. Oh boy. 
 This was a difficult book to read - not just because of the continued, if not daily abuse that Ruby experiences, but also the extreme racism, domestic violence, child abuse and animal cruelty. There are some very detailed passages that I had trouble reading and I really struggled with those. I feel like I have a fairly high tolerance for things like that but this was too much to the point that I didn't feel it was necessary, I certainly don't deny that there are children who are horribly abused, that experience this, but for all this to happen to Ruby was too much. There was one really horrible scene when I was almost stopped reading. I was done. Ultimately I continued because I needed to know what happened. It also helped that I had a couple of buffer books that I read at the same time. That said, Bond's writing is beautiful, I can't dispute that. Some of moments between Ruby and Ephram are wonderful. 
 "Ephram took her hand, "But I'll tell you what. I'm most interested in the woman you have yet to be." 
 "He wanted to tell her that he had seen a part of the night sky resting in her eyes and that he knew it because it lived in him as well. He wanted to tell her about the knot corded about his heart and how he needed her help to loose the binding." 
 And don't get me started on how he cleans her house and washes her hair. He doesn't take advantage of her, even when she expects him to, he just lets her be and gets on with his business. 
 This is told alternatively through Ruby and Ephram, and as mentioned, with a few other characters when their view is relevant, (mainly looking into Celia, Otha and Mr. Jennings and a little into Ruby's past), I liked that we got to hear from both characters and in Ruby's case this was important, she was often written off as the town crazy lady, when I felt like she wasn't. To me she was almost a wild creature, made that way by circumstance. There is this whole town that is just intent on taking her soul and Ruby is stuck there. An example is early on, when we meet Ma Tante, Ruby is told by her to leave her body/go elsewhere so that they can't steal her soul. If you stay, that's how they get you. Essentially, don't be present for the horror, so you can survive it. There were elements of magical realism that I felt helped bring this to life for me. There are times when she 'becomes' a tree and can feel the earth. 
 This is apparently the first in a trilogy. I'd like to see these characters happy. I hope that there isn't too much graphic violence in the next two installments. Moving the novel forward - this may be a possibility, but if it delves back into the Bell's past I don't think that's a possibility. I hope that there is more cohesion within the story and less jumping around in the timelines, even clearer movement would be good. I have reservations recommending this to everyone, it certainly would be too much for some people. I still think it is worthwhile reading it, I can't say I enjoyed it as such, but it was a powerful read, that I'm still thinking about and as I stated previously, the writing and Ruby and Ephram's love story is a thing of beauty. 
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