Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

 

With 2021 winding down, I was looking for another quick read to fill time with until January, when my new reading goals will begin. I settled on Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy, a young adult contemporary book that I have had sitting on my shelf for years now. I'd read Dumplin' by this same author back in 2015 and I liked it well enough, so I figured that this would be a pretty safe pick. I started in on it expecting another heartfelt, emotional read, and I wasn't disappointed.

The plot of the novel follows Ramona, a high school senior living in the small town of Eulogy, Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina displaced her family when she was just a baby, and she's been living in a rundown trailer with her father and older sister Hattie ever since. Things have never been easy for her--her father is well-meaning but a bit scattered. He barely earns enough at his hotel kitchen job to scrape by. Hattie is Ramona's best friend, but she doesn't make the best choices. Ramona generally has to follow behind her and pick up the pieces when she messes up. There's a lot of pressure on her to help take care of everyone. 

As the novel begins, several changes are taking place. Ramona's summer girlfriend Grace is returning back to her home, which is hours away. Their romance was brief, but intense, and while they are trying to maintain the relationship long-distance, Ramona is mourning the loss. Hattie has also just announced that she is pregnant, and the impending baby adds even more tension and uncertainty to the household. On a more positive note, Freddie, a childhood friend from Ramona's past, has just moved to the area, and he is quickly becoming a very close friend. Before long, Ramona starts to develop romantic feelings for him, which is deeply confusing for her. She has always considered herself a lesbian. Freddie is the first boy she has ever been attracted to, and she's not sure what that means for herself. 

As the year goes on and Hattie's pregnancy progresses, Ramona tries to sort out a wide array of feelings. She struggles with confusion, anxiety and sadness. She feels pressured and trapped by her needy family. She grows closer to Freddie romantically. She discovers a love of swimming, but is depressed by the fact that she can't fully commit to it due to work and her other home obligations. It's a lot for one person to handle. In order to move forward with her life in a healthy way, Ramona must make decisions that  put herself first, but learning to do that is anything but easy for her.

This book was really good, and everything I expected from a Julie Murphy novel. It was very emotional and Ramona was a relatable character that was easy to root for. I liked the overall theme of putting yourself first sometimes, as this is something I struggle with as well. All throughout the story, Ramona puts so much pressure on herself to be everything for everyone, and it ends up making her very stressed out and unhappy. It is only once she decides to take a chance on herself that she is able to move forward and find some fulfillment and peace. I think this is a good message that a lot of readers need to hear. 

The novel is definitely very character-focused, so it's good that I was invested in Ramona's journey of personal growth. There's not a whole lot of plot events to speak of. This is one of those quiet, everyday life kind of stories where you watch the characters struggle and get emotionally invested in their journeys. I already spoke about how I enjoyed Ramona, and I found myself liking a lot of the supporting characters as well. Hattie was a total screwup, but her relationship with Ramona was so lovely that I often found myself feeling bad for her. Freddie was such a kind and thoughtful character, I ended up wishing I knew him in real life. Ramona's friends Ruth and Saul were interesting to read about as well, each with their own flaws and issues to deal with. The characters that you are supposed to dislike, like Ramona's drunk, largely absent mom, and Hattie's deadbeat boyfriend Tyler are very realistically annoying. Everyone was well-written and Murphy did a good job of creating a very real-feeling depiction of life in a small, Southern town. I have to mention that the representation was great here as well, with characters of many different sexualities, ethnicities, body types, and economic backgrounds included. Murphy does a good job incorporating some of the struggles that come along with those things into the text.

If I had to level one criticism at the book, it would be that some of the teen characters read more like people in their twenties. Outside of Freddie, no characters are too concerned about doing things like getting permission to go places, attending classes, or keeping up with family obligations. They work jobs like serving and bartending that they should be too young to do and frequently drink like college students. In the case of Ramona, this is intentional, to emphasize how she's had to grow up too soon, but for the other characters, I kept forgetting they were supposed to be in high school. It really didn't seem like they were. This wasn't enough of a distraction to make me dislike the book though. It was just an element that felt a little bit off.

All around, this was a very enjoyable read. Both young adults and older readers can enjoy its themes of self-love and acceptance and enjoy its beautiful writing style. It's probably not one that I would want to reread, so it will go on my donate pile for others to enjoy in the future. I'm glad to have had the experience of reading it though, and I'm sure I'll get around to reading more of Julie Murphy's work in the future.

Challenge Tally

Clear the Shelves 2021: 33/50 (donate)

Total Books Read in 2021: 58