The Book of Ruth

After their wedding, Ruth and Ruby move into May’s bedroom (which she had once shared with Elmer). May resents living above the kitchen, where she can smell the food cooking.

May and Ruby do not have a honeymoon, although she enjoys one paid day off from the cleaners. Ruby annoys May with his immaturity, including by playing baseball around the house, but he attempts to atone by buying her a toaster, which temporarily appeases her.

Ruth wears a five-stone engagement ring of likely imitation diamonds and a simple wedding band that is not real silver. Ruby wears his wedding ring, paid for with the meager savings from Ruth’s piggy bank, on a chain around his neck. Ruby struggles to find a job, which Ruth suspects owes to his reputation as an alcoholic. In the meantime, he reluctantly helps out with the chickens at home. He also enjoys building birdhouses, which he sells for three dollars each at a local bookstore.

After Ruby makes a habit of jokingly insulting May’s cooking, and finally spitting out her pea soup (which is especially unpalatable, even by Ruth’s own admission), she suggests he take over the cooking. His first few meals include frozen pizza and hot dogs, and eventually, no one cooks, leaving May to resent the palpable tension in the living room.

Ruby takes to leaving at night and returning late, drunk. As a result, Ruth takes a walk in the cold December weather and encounters Daisy, who takes her out drinking. Ruth admits that she wants to see Daisy naked, which makes Daisy laugh. When the two return home, Ruth finds May and Dee Dee cooking and overhears Dee Dee reassuring May that at least she has one good son. May continues to lie about the frequency of Matt’s communication, and she evens makes up a story about a girlfriend who is a cheerleader. Their disparaging conversation infuriates Ruth, who storms off to bed and rejects Ruby’s advances when he gets home drunk and high. She remarks that this felt like their first lover’s spat.

Chapter 12 showcases Ruby’s history from infancy, via the lens of his social worker, Sherry, who arrives at Ruth’s house. Ruth is at first dismissive of Sherry, who seems professional but duplicitous; Ruth comments that she would never confide anything to her.

Sherry explains that Ruby is the youngest of three children, and his older sisters were considerably older. His father, Mr. Dahl, was an ex-Marine who is very stoical and critical of Ruby. When Ruby was only three months old, his mother fell asleep while in the bath and nearly caused Ruby to drown. The event not only put a strain on the marriage, but also instilled in his mother an unwavering commitment to Ruby. Despite Ruby’s resistance to all academic subjects, his mother defends Ruby and tries to make his life pleasant and easy.

After high school, Ruby struggled to hold down a job at both Dairy Queen and Sears, and he instead stayed at home listening to records and playing music. Ruth acknowledges his creative talents, which she wishes his father, too, could see.

After Ruby’s mother had a heart attack, the family moved to Florida with one of Ruby’s sisters and her family. Ruby was left to fend for himself and rented a modest apartment. He spent his time breaking locks and getting into petty fights. Despite stories he has told Ruth, Ruby in fact has a clean record, according to Sherry. Ruby continues to visit Sherry weekly.

Though Ruth is initially put off by Sherry’s intimacy with Ruby, she eventually comes to appreciate her sharing the burden of Ruby's story.