Last Day

March 11, 2019
Ruta explores ideas of forgiveness and loneliness through the experiences of three characters on the titular holiday in this meandering, purposeless debut set in a time much like our present. Thomas “Bear” Clark is an American astronaut aboard the International Space Station who has become disconnected from his daughters and his ex-wife. Sarah Moss is a teenager discovering her sexuality through her curiosity-driven pursuit of an older man. Karen Donovan is a young woman from Boston with mental health issues and a troubled past who has few friends to lean on. The slow and overly contemplative exploration of the sparse events of each character’s Last Day, an international holiday celebrating the end of the world, is frequently interrupted by the detailed and sentimental backstory of irrelevant characters. There’s no conflict, the characters make few decisions, and nothing really happens. Though small connections among the protagonists are rewarding and Ruta offers convincing vignettes, readers will be underwhelmed by this bleak examination of humanity. Agent: Jim Rutman, Sterling Lord Literistic.

March 15, 2019
What would you do on your last day on Earth...if there was a last day every year?Ruta's (With or Without You, 2013) debut novel centers around Last Day, a worldwide holiday to celebrate the Earth, prepare for the end of days, and atone for one's mistakes. The novel weaves together a seemingly disparate group of people as their lives overlap in small and large ways over the course of the holiday: Sarah, the anxious, bookish high schooler; Kurt, the middle-aged tattoo artist; Karen, the troubled loner; Rosette, the religious zealot; and Bear, Svec, and Yui, the international space travelers. Sarah travels to get tattooed by Kurt after having fallen in love with him during a family party the previous year. Kurt plans to atone for his past mistakes. Karen travels to find the last vestige of her family. Rosette joins a new religious movement. Bear, Svec, and Yui float through space together and apart. Ruta delicately sketches the large cast of characters--as well as their dreams, fears, and failures--with care. She's able to pinpoint certain universal feelings with precision. For example, when Sarah undergoes an underwhelming yet life-changing event, Ruta writes that "now she was alone and full of feelings that were at once ancient, almost inherent, and also brand-new." The novel falters in its final stretch when the plot becomes cluttered with too many secondary characters. Despite this, Ruta's talent shines when she writes about the natural world: "Long before there was sleep, there was night, Earth rolling away from the sun as a lover in a bed," and "Beauty remained. It had existed before, and always would, whether or not it could be borne."A beautiful portrait of humanity in the shadow of a dying Earth.

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April 15, 2019
After making a splash with her memoir, With or Without You (2013), Ruta returns with an inventive first novel. Ruta imagines that people have been observing Last Day on May 28th for centuries, coming together to celebrate life on Earth as though it might all end at any moment. They make amends to wronged loved ones and do things they've been putting off. Ruta follows a handful of loosely connected characters as yet another Last Day arrives. Sarah Moss, a teenager looking to distinguish herself in a sea of Sarahs, decides to seek out a much older tattoo artist she's smitten with to declare her affections. Oddball Karen loses her latest job over yet another transgression and decides what she needs to do is track down the adoptive brother who once was her only solace. And above it all floats Bear, an All-American astronaut marveling at the wonder of Earth from his perch in the international space station. The plights of some characters resonate more than others, but Ruta's first novel is an entertaining and clever speculative tale.=(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

December 1, 2018

Nerdy Sarah, crushing on troubled tattoo artist Kurt; maladjusted Karen, looking for her adoptive brother; and spiritual seeker Rosette, Karen's friend--these and more join in another Last Day celebration, marking the annually anticipated end of the world. A debut novel following Ruta's New York Times best-selling memoir, With or Without You.

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