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Please Note: I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Family. Faith. Secrets. Everything in this world comes full circle.
When Ruby King’s mother is found murdered in their home in Chicago’s South Side, the police dismiss it as another act of violence in a black neighborhood. But for Ruby, it means she’ll be living alone with her violent father. The only person who understands the gravity of her situation is Ruby’s best friend, Layla. Their closeness is tested when Layla’s father, the pastor of their church, demands that Layla stay away. But what are his true motives? And what is the price for turning a blind eye?
In a relentless quest to save Ruby, Layla comes to discover the murky loyalties and dark secrets tying their families together for three generations. A crucial pilgrimage through the racially divided landscape of Chicago, Saving Ruby King traces the way trauma is passed down through generations and the ways in which communities can come together to create sanctuary.
Saving Ruby King is an emotional and revelatory story of race, family secrets, faith and redemption. This is an unforgettable debut novel from an exciting new voice in fiction and a powerful testament that history doesn’t determine the present, and that the bonds of friendship can forever shape the future.
Review:
One reason I read books is to learn about lives and experiences I know nothing about. Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West, about the lives of several generations in an African-American neighborhood in Chicago, showed me a culture, centered around Church, that came alive through the page. But it also was about family secrets, neighbors who look the other way, the shame we carry, and the damage that causes. Those themes were universal.
This is not a feel-good novel about a neighborhood, but a serious examination of the generational harm of domestic violence, and sexual abuse. Ultimately, it is a story about redemption, and is a stunning debut novel.
What I Liked:
Setting:
Even though this book is set in Chicago, the neighborhood where all the characters live is very much like a small town. Life is centered around the Church, where everyone can been seen all day on Sundays. Everyone seems to know your business, so there is pressure to not do things that will cause gossip. The author did a wonderful job of creating a sense of place, with music, food, and characters.
Narrative Style:
I've never seen a narrative style quite like the one in this book. While we have several characters narrate various chapters, we also have the Church building as a narrator! This is a really unique perspective as people are both honest and hiding their darkest natures in Church. People also are at their most vulnerable and even in crisis at Church. I loved this insight.
Characters:
Many of the characters are seen over multiple years in their lives, and the transformations they experience are extreme. Life is not kind to most of these people. We see how optimistic the characters are when they are younger and how life turns their outlooks bleak.
But this also gives the reader a fuller picture of why a few of the characters make some terrible choices later in life. I appreciated that this was given as background, and not an excuse, for each character's actions.
Themes:
The problem with "Mind Your Own Business":
I think some readers may feel frustrated with Ruby, and her mother Alice. They seem, at first glance, passive about the abuse from Lebanon (the dad). If you've never been in a situation of domestic violence, you may wonder why they seem to accept their situation. But where are they supposed to get help from? The Church community says all the right things about how people should behave. But it also looks the other way when they know men abuse their families. Or when people have a problem with substance abuse. They are happy to gossip about it, but would never intervene.
This attitude of "What happens in the home, stays in the home", is why nothing changes. It is prevalent in communities where reputation is everything, not just the neighborhood in this book. I think that people worry that if they get too nosy, someone might denounce their own family. It's also a matter of pride. No one wants to admit weakness. But the consequences of silence are devastating to families and continue from one generation to the next. It's heart-wrenching.
Generational Violence:
This book makes a strong case that abusers are often products of abuse, themselves. If you've been hit as a child, told you're worthless, or seen your mother abuse drugs, you're possibly going to do that when you're an adult. This is not because people think it's fine to do these things. It's because they don't have any other tools to deal with anger, fear, and stress.
Story:
The story centers around us figuring out who killed Ruby's mother, Alice. It's a complicated mystery that spans several generations to fully understand what happened. There was plenty of suspense as the clues are revealed. You really don't know the complete story until the very end. This made this book a page-turner.
Trigger Warnings for sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Rating: 
Release Date: June 16th, 2020
Author: Catherine Adel West
Publisher: Park Row Books
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Fiction
Page Length: 352 Pages
Source: Publisher and Netgalley
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: A brutal, intense mystery. I couldn't stop reading it!
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