Book Review: Ripeness by Sarah Moss

About the book

In 1960s Italy, a family secret rips a teenage girl's world apart, only for her to discover its true meaning decades later.

Just out of school and teetering on the brink of adulthood, Edith is sent alone to rural Italy.

Her task is simple: support her sister Lydia, a brilliant but brittle ballet dancer, through the final weeks of her pregnancy. Once the baby is born, she is to make a phone call that will change all of their lives forever. Decades later, Edith is living a contented life in Ireland, happily divorced and finally free.

But with the arrival of an unexpected message, Edith must face the truth of that long-ago summer, and the secret she has carried for a lifetime. 

Why we loved it

Beautifully written and set over two timelines, Ripeness follows Edith, first as a teenager in the 60s and then again in the present day, as she tries to come to terms with her past and present and with the choices that shaped her life.

The book is part coming of age story and part reflection on the past and I found both timelines to be equally compelling. They meshed together seamlessly, giving depth and texture to the novel while driving the story forward.

Sarah Moss writes with so much sensitivity and thoughtfulness, creating a life and character in Edith that I was instantly invested in knowing more about.

One of the novel's most compelling themes is the way in which a single decision can reverberate across decades, shaping lives in ways that are impossible to foresee at the time. Ripeness beautifully shows that our choices can have far-reaching consequences beyond our original understanding and for me, it's this that gives the novel so much emotional resonance.

Thoughtful and reflective, this isn't a book you'll want to fly through in a single sitting. Instead, it's one to linger over and savour - the perfect summer read!