The Stranding

Beautiful writing! was the first thing I muttered when I got to the climax of this novel.
This is one of those books that are so beautifully written that you think about it casually months after.

It's unusual for a book to get close to a five star rating from me, but this book, got a four point five.

"The Stranding" is an incredible beautifully written story about love and loss.

This is a story of a character that has lived two lives, before and after.
Our main character Ruth has lived the life.
Shitty relationships, confused life, incessant craving to fill the void of love that exists in her life by bouncing from one relationship to another, and what seems to be a never ending monotonous life of wanting, confusion, and seeking for a reason to live, and someone to love.

When her latest relationship becomes claustrophobic and too unbearing, Ruth decides it is time to do something different in her life.

She decided to completely reinvent her life, and move to New Zealand, where we see another part of her life, and what looks like an apocalypse.

However much Ruth tries to run away from disaster, disaster seems to be doubling up it's efforts in chasing down Ruth.

Soon after Ruth moves to New Zealand, she has to face a new world in the real sense of the word, with Nik, a laid back photographer where everything is fucked up and everyone is dead.

I was actually interested in post-apocalyptic Ruth, than pre-apocalyptic Ruth.
Post-apocalyptic Ruth definitely had a stronger hold on her life than the former Ruth. The author highlighted her character, in such a way that her resilience resonated throughout the entire plot.
The whole thing kept me interested in Ruth as a character, and I kept hoping to see a redeeming arc for her in the end.

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Reviewing this book without spoilers would be like handing a child candy and expecting them not to unwrap it. It is totally impossible not to review without spoilers.

For me, apart from Ruth, another thing that totally drew me into the book, was it's setting.
I mean I've read a lot of books with different setting, but very rarely does an author literally draw you into those settings.
I've never been to New Zealand, but imagining "the breeze from across the water" and pulling " the salt-stiffened collar of the fleece towards her ears" were enough to send my imagination into that a wonderful seaside scenery.

Then there's also the fact that th author clearly highlights authentically how much women use coping mechanisms to 'survive' both judgemental and patriarchal views.

There's also the fact that the author clearly addresses self love. People, especially women do not realize how much they hate themselves to love others, which is why when Ruth realizes and discovers how much she must have given without receiving, I felt truly elated.

This book is powerful in a subtle way. It is that book that you don't realize you need, but at the end it leaves you thinking about it in more ways than one.

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^{Thank you so much @riverflows for the recommendation.}

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Do I recommend this book? Most definitely I do. I recommend it especially for women, who might be struggling with exactly the same thing Ruth is struggling with.