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A review by ooohgoshtara
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a good read. It’s the story of Ruthy Ramirez a 13-year-old Puerto Rican girl who never makes it home after track practice and the impact her disappearance has on her family. Many years later one of her sisters is watching tv and thinks she sees Ruthy on a trashy reality tv show called ‘Catfight’. This leads Ruthy’s mom and sisters to embark on a journey to bring Ruthy home.
A very much character driven story told from multiple POV’s. The POV’s of Ruthy’s mother, her two sisters and Ruthy herself. This story is heartbreaking yet has perfectly timed humor. A powerful exploration of family, death, grief, childhood, and generational trauma. It also highlights the way that missing Brown and Black girls and women are often ignored. I have seen some comments about their being too much profanity, but I didn’t notice. I guess I took it as how actual people would talk. The characters, the plot all came across as real and authentic to me.
The story also touches on childhood sexual abuse, racism, discrimination, and death.
#RuthyRamirez #NetGalley #ClaireJimenez
A very much character driven story told from multiple POV’s. The POV’s of Ruthy’s mother, her two sisters and Ruthy herself. This story is heartbreaking yet has perfectly timed humor. A powerful exploration of family, death, grief, childhood, and generational trauma. It also highlights the way that missing Brown and Black girls and women are often ignored. I have seen some comments about their being too much profanity, but I didn’t notice. I guess I took it as how actual people would talk. The characters, the plot all came across as real and authentic to me.
The story also touches on childhood sexual abuse, racism, discrimination, and death.
#RuthyRamirez #NetGalley #ClaireJimenez
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Racism