Ruby and the Stone Age Diet - Softcover

Millar, Martin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593762321 ISBN 13: 9781593762322

Publisher: Catapult, 2009

Synopsis

Though the narrator's life is peppered with myth, demons, werewolves, god and goddesses, the only thing stronger and more sustaining is his friendship with Ruby.

"From now on," Ruby says to her friend, the narrator, "We’re going on the Stone Age diet. It means we only eat the sort of healthy things our ancestors would have eaten. Raw grains and fruits and stuff like that. That’s what our bodies are made for." An admirable plan, but Ruby never eats, and the narrator’s attention span doesn’t lend itself to routine. He’s too busy pining for his ex-girlfriend Cis, who broke up with him and left him with self-pity and a plant: an Aphrodite Cactus that, when it flowers, is supposed to seal the love of the giver to the receiver, according to Ruby. Ruby, who never wears any shoes (even in the dead of winter).

Though lovelorn and lonely, the narrator’s life is rich with myth, demons, werewolves, gods and goddesses; everything is imbued with a spirit. There’s Helena, goddess of electric guitar players; Ascanazl, an ancient and powerful Inca spirit who looks after lonely people; Shumash the sun god; the war and sexuality goddess Astarte; the muse Clio. In fact the only thing stronger and more sustaining than the narrator’s fantasy life is his friendship with Ruby—the kind of friendship a body is made for.

About this title

About the Author

Martin Millar was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but has lived in London, England, for a long time. He has written a lot of things--novels and plays and short stories and articles. His newest novel is Suzy, Led Zeppelin and Me, and it's set in Glasgow. Millar has written six other novels: Love and Peace with Melody Paradise; Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation; Lux the Poet; The Good Fairies of New York; Dreams of Sex and Stage Diving and Ruby; and The Stone Age Diet. Millar likes Jane Austen novels, and wrote a stage play of Emma. He even wrote the novelization of the Tank Girl movie. Last, but not least, as Martin Scott, Millar writes the Thraxas series of books. There are five so far, and he won the World Fantasy Award for the first one. When he's not writing, Millar likes to watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer, read history books, especially if they're about ancient Greece, and play the flute.

Reviews

In this charming but aimless tale, the everyday harshness of drugs, heartbreak, and poverty in London's gritty south side mingles casually with a series of hallucinatory vignettes that may or may not be the result of unknowingly-ingested LSD. Appearances from gods and goddesses, space aliens, and hostage-taking Post Office robbers spin out alongside the unnamed narrator's humdrum day-to-day: lovesickness, finding a place to crash, and plans for self-improvement devised by his roommate and best friend, Ruby. Unfortunately, none of the goings-on have much effect on the protagonist, who takes personal obstacles and sci-fi plot developments equally for granted. What shines through are the personalities of and relationships among the main characters, whose friendships bloom amidst the disorienting blight of the real and unreal world, spiking Millar's gritty period fantasy with unexpected shots of sweetness. Though winning, the relationship between our bumbling narrator and the assertive but fragile Ruby serves a static plot that follows one unexplained upheaval after another. END

Best friends and south London squat mates, Ruby and the unnamed narrator are brokenhearted and hungry. Their respective lovers have just left them, and barefoot Ruby insists they begin the Stone Age diet, a regimen of raw fruits and nuts that “bodies are made for.” The narrator’s ex, Cis, delivers what Ruby identifies as an Aphrodite Cactus, a plant that supposedly seals the fate of two lovers once it flowers. Only for some reason it won’t blossom. To make matters worse, the narrator can’t find a drummer for his band, the one he is confident will help win back his girlfriend. Meanwhile, he steeps himself in myth, until he can no longer recognize reality, dwelling instead in an inner world of aliens, robots, werewolves, and gods, including Helena, goddess of electric guitar players. Fans will recognize Millar’s trademarks: piercing satire, humorous surprises, and absurd characters. What the novel lacks in plot, it makes up for with wild imagination; a charming, ADD-infused voice; and its portrayal of two friends who, if nothing else, at least have each other. --Jonathan Fullmer

Edition details

• Publisher: Catapult
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1593762321
• ISBN 13: 9781593762322
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160