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Fiction Literary

Untethered

by (author) Ruth Rakoff

Publisher
Cormorant Books
Initial publish date
Sep 2023
Category
Literary, Jewish, Siblings
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781770867017
    Publish Date
    Sep 2023
    List Price
    $24.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781770867024
    Publish Date
    Aug 2023
    List Price
    $12.99

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Description

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.

About the author

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.

Ruth Rakoff's profile page

Editorial Reviews

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>