Ruby

Ruby is the debut fiction novel by author Cynthia Bond. Published in 2014 by Random House, Ruby became a New York Times bestseller and was selected for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 in 2015. Set in an all-Black Texas township in the 1970s, Ruby follows Ruby Bell as she confronts her literal and figurative demons after returning to her hometown. Bond blends history with magical realism to tell a love story that explores themes of trauma and healing, the darker sides of organized religion, and the intersection of racism and sexism.

This guide refers to the Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 eBook edition of the 2015 Hogarth publication.

Content Warning: Ruby contains graphic descriptions of violence and child abuse, including physical and sexual abuse and assault, incest, infant death, and homicide; potentially upsetting depictions of racism; and intolerance toward gay people. These topics are pervasive in the text.

This study guide quotes and obscures the author’s use of the n-word.

Plot Summary

In 1963, Ruby Bell moves from New York back to her birthplace, the all-Black Liberty Township in East Texas—distinct from the mostly-white Liberty 100 miles southwest but typically referred to as just “Liberty.” Upon her return, she moves back into the old Bell family home and publicly descends into a mental health crisis, living in filth and frequently wandering the town in a fugue state.