Genre 3: Poetry - Post 3

Bibliographic data

Sones, Sonya.  2004. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies.  New York: Simon & Schuster.  ISBN 0689858205

Brief plot summary

Ruby Milliken is fifteen, and her mother just died.  She is moving from a modest home in Boston to a mansion in L.A. to live with her “scumbag” father who she has never met.  Ruby only knows two things about him:  he divorced her mother before she was born and he’s a famous Oscar winning actor.  Ruby hates that she’s “moving away from Lizzie Brody, / [her] best friend in the world, / away from Ray Johnston, / [her] first real boyfriend”, but she doesn’t have a choice.  The narrative is written in free verse poetry and is Ruby’s first hand account of how she adjusts to living in “Hell A.”  It is an intimate view into her emotions and thoughts, which can be raw at times.

Critical analysis

Sones writes this novel in first person so it reads like a personal diary that just happens to be written in free verse poetry along with a few emails scattered throughout the novel.  As a result, the tone is conversational which makes the poetry approachable for readers.  The titles of the poems read as the first line of the poem so it is important to read them.  Although the poems can stand alone, they link together to read as a narrative.   

The diction will ring true for teens including the occasional cursing.  It definitely reflects Ruby’s frustration over her situation:  the loss of a parent, a forced move across the country, a new school.  For example, Ruby’s first dinner with her father who’s “going on and on about / how his macadamia nut pancakes / are renowned the world over”  reveals her passive aggressiveness as she takes “a bit / of Whip’s famous pancakes” and admits “they’re delicious. / There’s no denying it. / But [she’d] like to ram the whole perfect plate / right down his throat.”  Overall, readers will find Ruby to be funny, honest, and sarcastic.  I found the plot somewhat predictable, especially when it comes to Ruby’s relationship with her father, her best friend Lizzie, and her boyfriend Ray; nevertheless I enjoyed the read…in one sitting. 

Awards:

• Winner of the 2004 Cuffie Award from Publishers Weekly for the Best Book Title of the Year
• Named a 2005 Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association

Review excerpt(s)

Booklist, Starred Review:

"Sones’...latest free-verse novel... is an unusual combination of over-the-top Hollywood fairy tale and sharp, honest story about overcoming grief. It’s Ruby’s first-person voice--acrimonious, raw, and very funny--that pulls everything together.... A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers."

VOYA:

"... Sones's sparse, carefully chosen prose is the star here, conveying Ruby's conflicts of home, friendship, and family in a sympathetic, thoroughly believable manner... Readers will cry as easily as they laugh at Ruby's frank observations of life in, as she calls it, Hellywood."

Connections:

* This text would work nicely when introducing poetry.

* This text would accommodate personal narrative writing, especially if you wanted to include mulitgenre writing.

* The writing would fit a English or writing teacher’s lesson over voice.