What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez

The debut book “What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez” by Claire Jiménez is incredibly moving. The Ramirez family on Staten Island who are plagued by the loss of their middle child Ruthy, who vanished when she was thirteen is at the center of the narrative. Twelve years later Ruthy’s startling likeness to a woman on a reality TV show is noticed by Jessica the oldest sister.

The family is forced to confront their history and look to the future as a result of this discovery, which sends them on a path of healing and reckoning. In a vivid family portrait full of sarcasm, resentment, compassion, and love, the work tackles issues of colonialism, racism, familial ties, generational violence, and silence.