From the Publisher
[D]elivers a stunning tale of love and sacrifice . . . Highly recommended for readers of stories that delve into deep waters of faith, values, and the different kinds of love. This debut will appeal to fans of Barbara Kingsolver.”—Library Journal“This beautiful novel sprawls across space and time, bounces between continents and decades. With a comforting hand, Ruggiero keeps us orientated and engaged. Energetic, stylistically brave, emotionally complex, and gripping—Unfollowers is a singular achievement.”—Gabriel Bump, author of Everywhere You Don’t Belong: A Novel
Library Journal
03/01/2022
DEBUT Ruggerio's novel, winner of the 2021 Juniper Prize for Fiction, delivers a stunning tale of love and sacrifice in a sweeping tale that spans 35 years. When 13-year-old Barb, the daughter of missionaries in Ethiopia, meets Declan, a pilot with a difficult past, her life becomes enmeshed with his in a way that affects her relationships with her future husband, Ross, as well as her mother and family. Barb leaves Ethiopia to attend college in the United States, where she meets and marries Ross; however, her love for Declan remains strong. Barb loves both men in different ways as she deals with the effects that her rule-following mother has on her. The complicated relationships among Barb, Declan, and Ross will engage readers as they navigate love, faith, and what it means to be true to themselves. Although this novel starts slowly, its raw depiction of Barb and the people in her life will stay with readers long after they put the book down. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers of stories that delve into deep waters of faith, values, and the different kinds of love. This debut will appeal to fans of Barbara Kingsolver.—Tamara Butler
