Going Home To Ruby

Review by Sarah Cheeseman.BA (Hons) English and US literature. In my capacity as a freelance editor, I have had the great privilege of working with Roy on his first novel, Going Home to Ruby. Not only does Roy have huge talent as a writer, but he is also one of those few who are unaware of just how good they really are. He is one of those rare writers that come along every so often and awaken in you something inspiring and truly amazing through their power of language and storytelling. I saw something special in this novel in the opening paragraphs, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play a role in its development and potential success. Not only is this story brutally honest in its factual portrayal of the carnage of the First World War – gruesome at times with its description of the awful conditions of the trenches and the decapitated bodies – but it is also a heart-warming tale of a young man’s struggle with his own sense of morality and the belief that he should suffer in order to atone for his sins, and shows the strength of the human soul when faced with the ultimate test of resilience and survival. It is the depth of vivid imagery that engages the reader from start to finish, and makes it a book that is impossible to put down until its heart-wrenching conclusion. It raises issues of morality, mortality, guilt, fate and whether death in such circumstances can be seen as a glorified escape or a sign of weakness. The powerful language and attention to detail draw the reader in, as if they are accompanying the main protagonist, Thomas, on his journey to redemption. They feel his joy, his pain, and share his turmoil. The reader feels empathy with his situation, but is crying out to him to make the right decisions – to choose life and not death. This author has the ability to transport the reader into the characters’ world, such that they feel as if they are actually lying in the trenches watching the bullets fly overhead, or are sharing the main character’s despair during a quiet moment of self-reflection. Thomas’s resilience and strength of character are uplifting, while his weakness and times of self-doubt simply make him all the more human. This is a novel that never loses pace, and the further you progress, the more it envelops you and the more difficult it becomes to put it down. It is a book of the highest calibre, and thoroughly deserves to have a place on anyone’s bookshelf. Going home to Ruby was shortlisted to the final 140 of 24,000 entries of the Brits Writers Awards Unpublished 2010.