Written and drawn by Nate Powell
Publisher: Top Shelf
What's it about?
Teenagers Ruth and Perry are siblings with mental health problems. Perry has a little wizard only he can see, who forces him to draw. Ruth suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) which takes the form of shelf ordering and collecting preserved insects. They live in a very strong bible area, so strong that their science teacher cannot teach science that has been proven. A lesson on asexual reproduction starts with a chapter of Luke, within the bible. Ruth and Perry live with their parents and their elderly grandmother, who is very ill and lives on the sofa. It's about familes, and relationships, and mental health.
The book shows us year or so of Ruth and Perry's lives. It drops you in, rushes you along and whisks you away, in what feels like minutes. The reader is left floundering, gasping for air and a feeling of steadyness.
