Ruth

Riley’s wonderful debut follows a woman at odds with the Christian commune she was born into. Inquisitive and eccentric Ruth Della Schol grows up in 1960s Gracefield, Mich., one of the Brotherhood’s so-called Dorfs, where members lead humble lives devoted to Christ. Their provisions are rationed and their children are raised under strictly defined gender roles. From a young age, Ruth is drawn to the world beyond the Brotherhood and becomes riveted by news of the civil rights movement—sparking an interest in social activism that prompts her to question the Brotherhood’s insularity, even as she wrestles with whether her impulse to do good is genuine or mere attention-seeking. Her curiosity grows as she matures and transfers to the nearby Dorf of Edendale, where she eventually meets and marries Alan Feder. The roles of wife and mother begin to feel increasingly ill-fitting, however, and Ruth’s restless anger compels her to ask what a full life truly looks like. Riley keeps the narrative grounded with her wry depictions of everyday life in the Dorfs, where married couples “earned privacy from others in exchange for nudity before each other.” Even as she renders the stifling conditions, she never loses sight of the characters’ humanity and spiritual searching, and she adeptly explores how faith and love can be sustained. It’s a remarkable achievement. Agent: Jim Rutman, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Aug.)