Ruth & Pen

Mesmerising . . . I became completely immersed in this emotional, intimate read * Good Housekeeping *
[An] uplifting debut novel . . . joy is a vital ingredient in Ruth & Pen * The Observer *
The debut novel from the author of the personal essay collection Notes toSelf is a poignant, raw exploration of the courage needed to find your space in the world * i *
Impressive . . . Pine explores with great acuity and tenderness the restorative, capacious nature of love. A wise and lovely book * Daily Mail *
Pine makes her chapters playful, writing with a friendly curiousness that brings to mind Ali Smith . . . Pine's measured yet tender juxtaposition of the women's days doesn't draw overly neat parallels so much as prove that one needs the other - younger needs older, optimist needs pessimist, introvert needs extrovert. And our opposites might help us find clarity * i *
[Ruth & Pen] finds heartbreaking beauty in our everyday lives . . . There is a real tenderness in the way in which Pine writes about the teenage girls in the novel * The Irish Times *
Pine reinforces her reputation as one of the most empathetic writers in the country * The Irish Examiner *
There's no doubting the novel's basic integrity; its warmth, its undogmatic interest in ordinary lives, and the impressive range of its imaginative sympathies -- Kevin Power * The Irish Times *
Moving and raw . . . Pine's ability to enter the heads of two such different characters is a sure sign of literary promise * The Sunday Times (Ireland) *
This book is an intimate portrait of love and grief, and the tender, fragile courage required just to live each day * Irish Country Magazine *
A confident walk through the lives of others, two women seeking their place in the world and a peace in themselves * RTE Guide *