mandy reviewed What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez
None
5 stars
My brother was missing for about two hours once. Well, the truth was that he'd been missing for about 36 hours but we only knew about it for a much shorter period of time. (He was already an adult and it was his workplace who raised the alarm). The police were incredible in tracking him down; he was found, desperately ill, and taken to hospital.
I've never known fear like that before. For two hours, it felt like I couldn't breathe. I shook continuously and couldn't think of anything at all. It was my darkest moment.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is a book about 13-year-old middle-child Ruthy who goes missing and the devastating effect it has on her parents and sisters. I'm sure it's obvious, from my opening paragraphs, that I related to this book a lot and it provided a glimpse of what happens when that initial fear …
My brother was missing for about two hours once. Well, the truth was that he'd been missing for about 36 hours but we only knew about it for a much shorter period of time. (He was already an adult and it was his workplace who raised the alarm). The police were incredible in tracking him down; he was found, desperately ill, and taken to hospital.
I've never known fear like that before. For two hours, it felt like I couldn't breathe. I shook continuously and couldn't think of anything at all. It was my darkest moment.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is a book about 13-year-old middle-child Ruthy who goes missing and the devastating effect it has on her parents and sisters. I'm sure it's obvious, from my opening paragraphs, that I related to this book a lot and it provided a glimpse of what happens when that initial fear response turns into your biggest nightmare.
Twelve years after Ruthy's disappearance, her sisters Jessica and Nina think they spot Ruthy on a reality TV show. After confronting the massive traumas of their past, they decide to take a road trip to confront their long-lost sister.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is not a mystery or thriller. It is a study in what happens to severely traumatised families and how our trauma bonds us together forevermore. It is so well-written, in short yet addictive chapters, and each character is distinct in how she dealt with the trauma.
Set in 2008, with flashbacks to 1996, the book also focuses on the financial crisis and recession during the 00s and the heady days of the mid 90s.
