I don't think the summary/blurb does this book justice. Yes, there is a lot about wanting to fit, but what I found more important was the caring description of someone with an eating disorder and how the world around them pressures them - and how these pressures are internalized. And then there is a lot of other stuff in this coming-of-age novel.
And, one tiny reference to Auburn, just saying. ( )

3.5 Stars

Ruth Wasserman has always wanted to fit in but, as a self-professed fat girl, she has always associated fitting in with being skinny. After spending her freshman year extreme dieting, Ruth returns home to Alabama for the summer determined to maintain her new skinny figure, even if it means eating nothing but candy and salad. When her family and friends comment that she's gone too far, Ruth insists that she has everything under control; but does she really? Meanwhile, Ruth's older brother David has also returned home for the summer. For Ruth, David represents everything she is not. He's a star athlete and student, with movie-star good looks, the type of person everyone wants to be like. But the normally extroverted David has become withdrawn and uncommunicative, taking little pleasure in the activities he once thrived on and leading Ruth to wonder what has happened to the brother she used to know. As Ruth tries to uncover the truth behind her brother's strange behaviour, she is also forced to confront her own issues.

Given her propensity to engage in questionable activities, I was initially worried that I wouldn't like Ruth enough to become engaged with her story. Ultimately, however, I found Ruth to be a character worth rooting for. While she has flaws and makes mistakes, Ruth also has a number of strengths, not the least of which is her ability to bring out the best in the kids she coaches in swimming. Indeed, I greatly enjoyed Ruth's interaction with her 'guppies'. Another aspect of the novel I enjoyed was the Wasserman family dynamic. It's refreshing to read a novel about a young woman who generally gets along with her family and has parents who seem engaged in the lives of their children. While the story is told from Ruth's perspective, the reader also gets a sense for how her parents struggled with how to appropriately deal with her and David's issues.

While I enjoyed this novel overall, I do feel there was a little too much going on. Both the main storyline and the various subplots involve heavy subject matters -- eating disorders, depression, racism, etc. But when all was said and done, despite the serious nature of each of these plot lines, their resolutions were all a little too neat. This issue didn't detract greatly from my overall enjoyment of the novel, but it did leave me thinking that the ending wasn't necessarily as realistic as it could have been. Nevertheless, I would recommend this novel to others and look forward to reading more from Zoe Fishman.

Note: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Read a few chapters and was turned off by the description of drinking, drugs and sex in Ruth's Alabama home town. Didn't rate book as I didn't read all of it.

There is a lot to like about Saving Ruth, and Ruth herself drew me into the story immediately. From the first page, I was interested in who this girl is, what is up with this family dynamic, and how and when is Ruth going to come to grips with her eating disorder and begin to heal from it. For the most part, the book wraps itself up pretty well and I was left in the end satisfied with my questions answered.

One thing I liked about Saving Ruth and found unique was the brother-sister relationship that is explored in the book. Not a lot of novels that I’ve seen lately focus so intently on a sibling relationship, especially one that is dysfunctional without it being clear why that is the case. The situation with Ruth and her brother David was just sad – they simply didn’t get along, hadn’t for years, and Ruth both was desperate to be loved by her brother and really didn’t like him as a person at the same time. Fishman did a good job showing how the sibling relationship can be incredibly complex and is shaped by years of a shared family history and experiences. Also she illustrated the fact that even though two children can grow up in the same home with the same two parents, their childhoods can still be different based on how they interpret things that happened, how the parents treat each child differently, and how their personalities can just be different from birth. I liked the exploration of Ruth and David’s relationship a lot and found it to be an interesting element of the novel.

Another element of the story I found interesting and well done was Ruth’s anorexia. It was so clear that she was in denial about her eating disorder and how bad it had gotten, but also was desperate for someone to help her with it. And it made me sad how her family and friends didn’t know what to do with her, how to react to her huge weight loss, and how to help her. One thing I don’t think was resolved well was this particular issue – definitely by the end, there was hope for Ruth, but I wasn’t confident that she was going to get better. Although I suppose that is realistic because eating disorders don’t just go away – it can take years of work, therapy, and discipline for a person to recover from an eating disorder and begin to treat her body in a healthy and positive way. So while I didn’t love the way Fishman resolved this particular issue she did treat it realistically.

I did enjoy Saving Ruth and would recommend the novel. The characters are well drawn, the writing is good, and the story contains several elements that bring everything together in a comprehensive and unique way. Fishman did a nice job with this novel and I will continue to read her work when the opportunity arises. ( )

This coming of age story is a wonderful read, one that will resonate with anyone who survived the tumultuous transition from teenager to adult. Both Ruth and her brother struggle with parental expectations and the desire for control over their lives. They, and their parents, are shaken out of their complacency by a near-tragedy that could have had much worse implications than it did. Ruth is a well-developed and vulnerable character, one battling with an eating disorder and trying desperately to reconnect with the brother who has always eclipsed her.

Once I started reading, I didn't put this book down until I was finished. Well-written and well-imagined, this story and the voice rang true from start to finish. I was genuinely engaged with Ruth as she attempted to navigate the treacherous waters of her first summer home from college- balancing friends, family, and food in desperate attempt to keep it all together. There are no big revelations here, no life changing message- just a well-crafted coming of age tale that I would recommend to any reader. ( )