Laxmi Hariharan's "The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer"

Title: Fighting Back

“Awakened” by Laxmi Hariharan

Reviewed by Shelby Loebker

Date: 9/19/2016

Time: 1:35 p.m.

“Awakened” follows the titular protagonist’s transformation from a young woman trying to make her way in modern day Bangladesh, to an empowered hero saving the city. An accident gives Ruby her powers and she uses her new abilities to follow a trial of mysterious and anonymous text messages, stopping a growing evil from harming Bangladesh, while simultaneously grappling with her complicated past.

The most noticeable flaw in Hariharan’s story telling – and it certainly one that can be overlooked – is the first-person breadcrumb trail with which she reveals Ruby’s past. The shadowed and painful tale ekes out of Ruby bit by bit, in acronyms and phrases she invented to gloss over the very real abuses. The number of hints dropped throughout the book eventually make the reader’s eyes roll, rather than piquing their curiosity.

On the other hand, witty Ruby Iyer gets straight to the point, telling her own narrative with a voice that is almost too aware. She observes and remarks with the equal parts wisdom and humor that so often mark young adult literature.

Ruby Iyer smashes into the young and new adult audience as a brand new superheroine. Though her story begins much like any other, bantering with her best friend and meeting an enigmatic stranger, she has a mission with which no other superhero can compare. Ruby Iyer fights for women and their rights over their own bodies in a story that is engaging, compelling, and all too necessary.

Ruby Iyer turns her pain into power and uses her power to challenge the evil in her world. Hariharan, too, turns her talents into Ruby Iyer and, with her protagonist, issues a challenge to the world.

I give “The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer” 4 out of 5 stars.

Read Away!

Shelby Jo