Drowning Ruth: A Review

   
    Drowning Ruth is an excellent debut attempt by author Christina Schwarz. I haven't had a chance to sit down with  a book (of course if a copy of the O magazine or Readers' Digest count, then I did) for a while now, but boy am I glad I picked this one. Thanks to my friend JT who suggested the title, and my little one SJ who let me finish it. It was an easy breezy read, with a suspenseful plot; albeit slightly predictable, it was a definite page turner. The whole story takes place in rural Wisconsin during the first world war. The riveting characters portrayed with intense emotions take us on a deeply engrossing journey back and forth narrating the story of  Mathilda's death and Ruth's drowning. How Mathilda dies on a cold wintry November night is slowly revealed in bits and peices by her secretive sister Amanda and daughter Ruth. The characters although intense and dark at times,  portray deeply human emotions and one cannot help but root for them to find happiness and truth towards the end.
    An apt genre for the book I guess would be- thriller meets family drama.The pace of the narration will not disappoint you and is sure to keep you up past midnight trying to get to the end.

Nothing Will Ever Be The Same

Alas my hibernation in my blog-verse (the cliched term people use for their blogging world) is over, or so I hope. I haven't published a single post for a while now. Wonder how deep a slumber I got into. Au contraire, I have been as sleepless as I have ever been in my whole life. Those nights of nervous cram-as-much-material as you can studying sessions with a few snoozes here and there, now look like a walk in the park. Okay! So whats all the bustle about..? We have a brand new baby at home! He was born 6 weeks ago. My husband S referred to the occurrence just the other day as "when we brought  him from the hospital". It sounded as though babies are made available that easily and are given away at the hospital to take home...phew!
Ever since S Junior (SJ) arrived, the queen of the king-sized bed is now officially a sleep-deprived mom. Am I complaining? Maybe just a little. But all the lack of sleep pays off when SJ lights up as I walk into the room. And though nothing will ever be the same for S and me, it sure feels like exciting times are in store for us.

PS: I haven't had much time to read anything major lately. Just going through an old copy of The Adventures Of Malgudi, by R K Narayan, a collection of short stories and excerpts from his novels. And it sure needs no review.