Ripe

While literary fiction about the struggles of life and mental illness are some of my favourite books to read, Sarah Rose Etter’s Ripe felt kind of like prolonged foreplay that never reaches climax.

I loved her writing in this book. The descriptions about the tech and startup world absolutely hit the mark for me. As someone who works in this industry, it was hilarious reading about work culture from this point of view. From the Believers pretending to love every “bonding” game at team events, to the faux enthusiasm for in-office banter—she nailed the stereotypical work culture of the tech industry.

“I write about the colors of buttons, the optimal utilization of text, where the eye tends to land on a screen, how to subtly scam the human into being tracked, into the sales funnel, as if through a cute, like a cow on the way to slaughter, to the right place, to the right action, at the right time.”Sarah Rose Etter

The symbolism of the black hole along with the consistently negative depictions about every day life, the city, and her relationships was such a real look into depression. This book is depressing, so much so that there almost needs to be a trigger warning for those suffering from depression because it captures that headspace so well. In this way, the book achieved exactly what it set out to do—to encapsulate what it feels like to be in the mind of someone who’s struggling with depression and anxiety and cemented in their existential crisis.

“When you’re young, every part of life seems big and monumental. Once older, you can see it for what it is: smaller pieces of a larger game you have no choice but to play.”Sarah Rose Etter

But beyond the poetic writing, the story felt like it went no where. Although we followed Cassie through the journey of her pregnancy and the lower points of her relationships, the wrap up of the story felt anti-climactic and the ending, unfinished.

Maybe the lack of resolution is symbolic as well. To show that there’s no easy solution to depression. Either way, the lack of climax is what lead me to give this book a 3.5 star rating, despite how much I enjoyed Cassie’s dark rumination about life.