Ripe

                                         *free review copy* 

Title: Ripe

Author: Sarah Rose Etter

Publisher: Scribner

Release Date: 7.11.23

Publisher’s Summary 

A year into her dream job at a cutthroat Silicon Valley startup, Cassie finds herself trapped in a corporate nightmare. In addition to the long hours, toxic bosses, and unethical projects, she struggles to reconcile the glittering promise of a city where obscene wealth lives alongside abject poverty. Ivy League grads complain about the snack selection from a conference room with a view of unhoused people bathing in the bay. Startup burnouts leap into the paths of commuter trains, and men set themselves on fire in the streets.

Though isolated, Cassie is never alone. From her earliest memory, a miniature black hole has been her constant companion. It feeds on her depression and anxiety, its size changing in relation to her distress. The black hole watches, but it also waits. Its relentless pull draws Cassie ever-closer as the world around her unravels.

When her CEO’s demands cross an illegal threshold and she ends up unexpectedly pregnant, Cassie must decide whether the tempting fruits of Silicon Valley are really worth it. Sharp but vulnerable, funny yet unsettling, Ripe portrays one millennial woman’s journey through a late-capitalist hellscape and offers an incisive look at the absurdities of modern life.

My Review

I'm a little all over the place with my thoughts on this book. It was not an "enjoyable" read but I think it is an artistic masterpiece. I found it on par with The Goldfinch (another book I am ambivalent about,) The Guest (which I hated,) and Severance (which I loved.) The story is bleak and depressing (gentrification, impossible bosses, and an unplanned pregnancy) but also perfectly encapsulates the burnout of the millennial generation. I felt that the definitions and graphics every few pages were unnecessary, but an interesting stylistic choice to break up the story. Also, the psychological manifestation of a personal black hole as a metaphor for depression was both obvious and uniquely written. Most importantly, I applaud Etter for writing about abortion in a way that is not judgemental while also making a huge statement about a certain demographic of women making this choice. A certain subset of readers (Sally Rooney and Ottessa Moshfegh fans) will likely love this.