Peel back the layers of any person,” Kitty DiCamillo tells her granddaughter Lucy in Tina Ann Forkner’s Ruby Among Us, “and you’ll find pain and suffering well-hidden in their soul.” Ruby Among Us, Forkner’s stunning debut novel, is all about hidden suffering—and the love and friendship that can bring redemption and healing...

...In Ruby Among Us, Forkner creates characters of such depth of emotion and human frailty, it is difficult to believe they aren’t flesh and blood. Forkner uses a highly effective narrative technique to heighten the feeling of closeness the reader feels with the characters: each section of the book is told through the eyes and memories of either Kitty, Lucy, or Matt, a friend Ruby had been close to. Forkner’s writing is effortless, and you flow through each facet, growing closer to the heart of the story with each chapter.

Ruby Among Us would be an astoundingly good novel for a seasoned writer; for a debut novel, it’s a triumph.

Ruby Among Us is a gem of a novel—it feeds the intelligent mind while simultaneously nourishing the soul.

Armchair Interviews says: Look for great things from this stunning new author, Tina Ann Forkner.