One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sones, Sonya.  2004.  ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES.  New York: Simon & Schuster.  ISBN  0689858205

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

After her mother dies, fifteen year old Ruby Milliken is sent to live with her estranged mega-movie star father, Whip Logan, in Los Angeles, California.  As Ruby navigates her way through the grief process, she must also find her way around a new city, a new school, and a new way of life.  Although her father tries to establish a relationship, she never allows him to explain his absence in her life, which causes anger and resentment towards him to grow.  It isn't until she experiences the betrayal of her best friend, suffers the loss of her first love, and the death of a fellow classmate that Ruby finally breaks down emotionally and allows her movie star father to step into the role of a loving dad.  As this new relationship is forged, the truth about her father's life as well as his attempts to be involved in hers are revealed and Ruby is finally able to establish a meaningful connection with him, as well as regain stability in her life.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This free verse novel allows readers to delve into young Ruby's mind as she navigates through the feelings of anger, grief, insecurity, and depression.  The poems are short, usually one to two pages in length, which allow the plot to easily unfold from one page to the next.  Since there is no rhyme scheme, readers are able to gain insight from the first person narrative that is carried throughout the novel.  

Ruby's voice is first developed through the honest thoughts and natural dialogue found in the detailed language used to describe her new life in Los Angeles.  Sones effectively uses imagery and sensory words to describe what Ruby observes when she first walks into her father’s Hollywood mansion: “the floor twinkles/like something straight out of/an old Fred Astaire movie,” “a gurgling indoor fishpond,” “a fireplace big enough/to rotisserize an elephant,” and “Whip’s Oscar,/ shimmering,/ under the beam of a single spotlight.”  These descriptive words allow readers to create a vivid mental picture of the immense size and stature of her new home as well as the luxurious commodities found within.  

Sones also does a fantastic job of developing Ruby's personality and unveiling her witty sense of humor through the natural flow of free verse.  For example, readers will laugh as Ruby mocks the flight attendant's announcement to first-class passengers in her thoughts: "Would they mind returning/their empty champagne bottles/and caviar buckets/to their personal in-flight servants?" and please remove "your exclusive complimentary/American Airlines Armani bunny slippers."  Ruby's sarcastic edge is revealed in her biting remarks, as she consistently refers to her new city as "Loser Angeles," "Hell A," and "Hollyweird" throughout the novel.  This gives readers a true glimpse into the bitterness and anger Ruby feels about her life being uprooted.

Free verse is also used to show the emotional roller coaster Ruby is on as she works through her grief process.  The phrases and words chosen by Sones allow readers to experience the rich pool of feelings Ruby is wading through.  As Ruby deals with the loss of her mother, she begins writing her a series of emails.  Some readers may find the way she addresses her mother a bit strange when she writes "How are things in the casket? Not too damp, I hope" in one letter and "How are things in Decomposeville?" in another.  However, they should recognize this as Ruby's attempt to cope and make light of an otherwise tragic and devastating loss.  Although she tries to protect herself from confronting the true pain, she finally cracks from the emotional weight and, in an outpouring of her thoughts, writes "I've been thinking about how pissed I am at you.  Pissed at/ you for dying.  Pissed at you for leaving me.  Pissed at you/for wrecking my whole entire life."  These verses capture the honest and raw emotions Ruby feels, and readers will feel compassion for what this young, fifteen-year-old girl has had to endure.  The poem that best captures the complexity of Ruby’s sadness and depression is titled "Things I Am Grateful For," in which readers see nothing but a blank, empty page, symbolizing the emptiness she feels inside.

In addition to confronting the emotions of grief, Ruby must also endure the betrayal of her best friend Lizzie and beloved boyfriend Ray.  Sones uses powerful similes to allow readers to experience the emotional impact she feels after learning of the betrayal.  Ruby is crippled by the heart break as she describes “I hang up the phone,/ and shatter- / like a windshield in a head-on collision.”  This devastation is further emphasized as she says “The tears surge to my eyes,/ swelling and stinging like salty waves.” By comparing the heart break to the shattering of a windshield, readers understand how this awful and sudden devastation has broken young Ruby; the comparison to the the salty waves reveal the flood of emotions that have finally burst and now overflow.

The novel is wrapped up fairly quickly, and although the conclusion is a satisfying one, it leaves readers wishing Sones had spent more time developing the dynamics of Ruby and Whip’s newly established relationship.  By the novel's conclusion, however, readers can infer that Ruby's attitude towards her new life in California has changed significantly, as the trees, once described as "anorexic palm trees" are now seen as "graceful."  Young adult readers will enjoy many of the pop culture topics referenced throughout the novel, such as the MTV Cribs television show and various celebrities like Johnny Depp, Cameron Diaz, and Brad Pitt.   Because of the occasional use of profanity, this book is recommended for a young adult audience, ages thirteen and older.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPTS

KLIATT REVIEW: "Sones is a gifted writer of novels in poetry... YAs will love this book--for the emotional storms, for the details of life among the rich and famous, and for the basic character of Ruby--smart, responsible, resilient."

THE ALAN REVIEW: "Ruby Milliken shines as a saga unfolds from the mind of a teenager in this fast-paced novel of vibrant emotions and high drama... Sones writes with a poetic, plot-driven style magically connecting each new character to the next event. Having experienced the culture shock of Hollywood herself, Sones equates some of her experience through Ruby, causing the first-person narrative to come alive in a natural way. Young readers will be drawn to the journalistic feel, poetic set-up, and page-long chapters."

VOYA:  "It is true that the mother dies, but this hilarious and painfully real novel in verse and letters is anything but hideous... Whip Logan might be in the movies, but 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."

5.  CONNECTIONS

* Lead a discussion with students about the phases of grief and how people cope with grief or loss.  

*Encourage young adults to read more free verse novels written by Sonya Sones

Sones, Sonya.  STOP PRETENDING.  ISBN 0060283874

Sones, Sonya.  WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW.   ISBN  9781442493858

* Have the class participate in "Questions for Discussion" created by the author, Sonya Sones.  These discussion questions may be found on her website at http://www.sonyasones.com/books/oneofthose/readguide.html