The author of Ruby talks about how she immersed herself in an agonising history of abuse,echoed in her own life, to write her much acclaimed debut novel
“Hell, and ain’t nothing strange when Colored go crazy,” a character observes in Cynthia Bond’s debut novel, Ruby. Strange is when we don’t.” But the crazy does seem unlikely when we are first introduced to Ruby Bell. How does a black woman in the 1960s, and with enough beauty and light enough skin to savor privileges others would dream of,conclude up urinating and howling in the streets and fleeing ghosts?As it turns out, the crazy is not so strange at all: Ruby is a harrowing book about sexual abuse, and devout hypocrisy (Pretending to have feelings, beliefs, or virtues that one does not have.) and satanism. It would be secure to disregard the review quoted at the front of the UK edition that recommended it for beach reading. Related: Ruby by Cynthia Bond review – a survivor's story of love,insanity and Satanism It is a terrifying thought, but no one is a total monsterContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com