Petal Wolffe has something to celebrate: she’s successfully completed her PhD. But her celebrations are interrupted by a crisis involving her twin sister, Rose. Petal rushes home to Toronto, part concerned about her sister’s well-being, and part annoyed: Rose always did have a way of stealing the spotlight.

Untethered tells the story of Rose and Petal’s lives, from their childhood and a teenage adventure abroad, to their diverging paths as free-spirited Rose becomes enraptured with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community while Petal, burdened by responsibility, plunges into clinical depression that manifests itself in self-destructive behaviour.

Petal finds refuge on a kibbutz, turns her life around, and returns to her schooling. Rose marries a man Petal deems unworthy.

Untethered provides context and insights into orthodoxy, post-war experience, mental illness, generational trauma, and grief while laying the foundations for understanding and a path toward healing.

Ruth Rakoff is a writer and director of a non-profit organization with a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from the University of Toronto. She is grateful for the privilege of writing and making art. Born in Montreal, Rakoff published her first book, a memoir titled When My World Was Very Small, in 2010. Rakoff weaves personal experience into fictional characters and narratives in Untethered, her first novel. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

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“Untethered navigates between the solidity of a rock and the fragility of flowers. Rakoff’s reverence accumulates with the best of intentions as she honours her protagonist’s metamorphosis and hyphenated hybridity.”

Michael Greenstein, <i>The Miramichi Reader</i>

“Grab a copy of Untethered at your local bookstore and prepare to be transported into the enthralling, tragic, and messy world of Petal and Rose.”

Jenna Vetsch, <i>Alberta Jewish News</i>