pagingmrsvarnum 's review for:

The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor by Amanda Panitch

4.0

mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This is one of those situations when the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” flies out the window. How can you not want to pick up a book this pretty?! I needed a break from the overtly fantastical titles on the Mark Twain list this year, and so I wasn’t too thrilled about the plot of a girl being taken over by a dybukk (a demonic spirit in Jewish mythology), but once the story got going, I felt like that storyline was shadowed by some bigger (and more interesting) themes. 

 

The “two wrong halves” mentioned in the title refer to Ruby having a Christian mother and a Jewish father. She’s raised Jewish, but her (horrible, if you ask me) grandmother reiterates over and over that “true” Jews have matrilineal descent and therefore, Ruby isn’t really Jewish. Her cousin Sarah (the poor girl who gets inhabited by a dybukk) has two Jewish parents and therefore is blatantly preferred by their grandmother. Ruby really doesn’t get to experience many healthy relationships in her family; while her parents are loving and supportive, her extended family on both sides is flat out hateful sometimes, especially when it comes to gender and/or religion. 

 

To be honest, Ruby drove me nuts at times, but I did really love the exploration of how we allow others’ perceptions to affect our self worth, how we define ourselves, and how we are made up of so many different parts. This book is also an excellent mirror for those growing up in mixed religious households and a great window for readers interested in learning more about Judaism.