White Rabbit

by Kate Phillips

Meet Ruth Caster Hubble. Feisty, cantankerous, and irreverent, she is an old woman struggling to maintain order in a harebrained modern world, and today is the last day of her life. White Rabbit follows Ruth's progress minute by minute on this fateful day as she copes with the breakdown of her household appliances, her own vital organs, and her faith in romantic love. While Ruth meanders her way through the day's routine, heartbreaking memories surface that open windows into her past. She thinks of Hale, her beloved first husband, who died in 1944; and hopeless Henry, her steadfast husband of 36 years, whom she calls, with a mixture of affection and contempt, a "boob." As the hours tick by, Ruth starts seeing things. A furry white bunny keeps hiphopping across her field of vision, announcing "Time," and Ruth has to wonder if hers is up. Written with an understated elegance, warmth, and surprising depth, White Rabbit heralds the arrival of a writer of formidable talent.

Genres: Fiction

228 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 1996

Reviews

[Randee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've had this book for several years and had forgotten about it until I made a sweeping overhaul of all my books and put aside those I hadn't read. I must have thought at some point this had something to do with Alice in Wonderland. We all make mistakes and this was a wowzer of the first degree.
This is a day in the life of an 88 year old woman. An 88 year old woman who has led quite the uninteresting life I might add. Her reminiscences of her younger self are not interesting. Her current daily life and thoughts are not interesting.
The book is well written which is the obvious reason I did not DNF it. I do not have age prejudice. I am rather fond of old people because so many of them have great stories to tell and wisdom to impart. I was crazy about my grandmother and if I wrote a book about her, I think it would make me blush, at times; but she'd go down in history as one of the most individualistic, free thinkers of her generation.
The woman in this story seems prudish, petty and a bit poisonous in thought, word and deed. Definitely not my kind of person.

[Mary Lins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revisiting some old favorites to escape the corona-virus world, I picked up Kate Phillip’s, “White Rabbit” once again; an all-time favorite. First published in 1996, it is the story Ruth Caster’s day and memories on December first of her 88th year. “White Rabbit” never fails to entertain me and to touch me; it is both hilarious and poignant, often within the same page. Just reading about Ruth’s elaborate garbage arrangement is worth the price of admission!

Of course, I’m older than when I first read about Ruth, and I realize that I judge Ruth a little bit differently today. But I love her curmudgeonly self just the same. I hope I’m still re-reading this when I’m in my 80s!

[Morgan James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im not really sure what to think of this book. It goes back and forth a lot and it gets kind of confusing, but it was incredibly well written!!

[Shelly Janger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of a woman whose tightly-controlled, OCD ways of doing daily, routine things grew on me the more I read it. You follow her from waking up Saturday morning to going to bed Saturday night, and learn her life story in the process. A fascinating character who will surely stick with me and think about from time to time.

[verned · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it weird that I just love Ruth? I know I will read this again and again.
4.75 stars

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I loved
The writing style and characters: There’s a whimsical nostalgia to the prose that captured my attention right on page one. A matter-of-factness that belies both regret and emptiness, the sadness of the end of life, when there’s nothing to do but go through the motions and reminisce. Ruth is a believable and relatable character and I enjoyed her idiosyncrasies and routines. Henry’s puppy-dog personality is downright heart-wrenching at times.

What I didn’t
Around page 85, I started wondering where the book was going. It seemed to be a long catalog of all of Ruth’s doings, musings and memories as she goes about her day, and after a bit it seemed not necessarily repetitive but more of the same. Ruth will do this thing next, and she will judge others or have these flashbacks in the process. I also kept waiting for Ruth to face and overcome (or at least react to) challenges. For example, she goes to the post office on a bus that only comes once an hour, and realizes she has to pee very badly just as the return bus is arriving to pick her up. She decides not to duck into the gas station across the street because she doesn’t have time, preferring to suffer physical pain rather than waste another hour waiting for the next bus. While this feels true to her character and I can relate, I kept wondering, but what if she HAD? What if she’d missed the bus? What would Ruth do then? And if she did board the bus, what if she’d soiled herself while sitting there? Would others have noticed? What would their reactions have been? I wanted her to be purposely thrown out of her routine for the purpose of personal growth.

Ultimately I had other books I was itching to get to — DNF on page 92. If you like slice-of-life books, this could be one you will love. Strong writing and well drawn characters, I just needed a little more going on.

[Preloved reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit drag,barely make it to the end read,reflective yet her life was not as interesting as i thought it was, it revolves mostly on the men on her life and how it breaks her, not my cup of tea because i feel like talking to a friend complaining about her relationship after i advise her multiple times not to make the same mistake that she loves doing yet complaining...

[Janeen Rawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

was so worried about the woman in the story i was almost afraid to read the end - not a mystery, a slice of life and because i am older, way to close to home.

[Barbara Cryer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little odd

[Debbie Ditchoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was kind of a bummer but comforting at the same time. A good bedtime read.

[Thomas F. Marsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but probably won't recommend. Takes place during one day with lots of memories.

[Patsey]

An ordinary day in the ordinary life of 88 year old Ruth. It’s funny yet sad, harsh yet loving. Reflective for Ruth…and me too

[Kristen]

Brilliant!

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I must have been twelve or thirteen the first time I read this. It was one of the slightly obscure books in my local library that I would check out over and over again as a comfort read. But my reasons for adoring this book have been lost in the mists of time, because I cannot figure out what interest teenybopper me would have had in this detailed breakdown of minutiae in the routine of a batty, unlikable old lady. 27-year-old me had very little interest.
If I had to venture a guess, I suppose maybe I was wowed by the narrative structure? Perhaps I thought it was quirky and whimsical to follow an elderly woman along each agonizing moment of the last day of her life. Now that I am older, I found it really unpleasant. This book is a lot meaner than I remembered. Hurtful and ugly and sad. It aches with nihilism, points out the roaring fathomless void inside of all of us and has nothing helpful to say about it other than, "Look!" I don't know. I didn't even notice this when I was younger. I thought it was zany and lighthearted; I missed the point entirely.
I can't bring myself to give the book one star because I know that my past self used to like this book. But I can't remember how it felt to be that version of me anymore.

[Alenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book very descriptive, you really got to know the main character, Ruth. It was sad too. Does make you think about the choices you make every day, makes you appreciate the small things more.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really think this book deserves 3.5 stars. It was decently written and I did developed an affection for the main character. To be honest, I didn't like her at all at first. I thought she was mean and snobby. After reading the story, I still think she's mean and snobby but I like her better since I spent several days in her head. the description in the book was great; I really got a sense of the location. I was also impressed she could keep me interested for over 200 pages of a day in the 3 life of an 88 year old woman. I would recommend this book, but for me it's definitely a 1 time read.

[Pam Oconnor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth is a character! Reminds you that age means nothing--we are all the same. We feel the same joy and pain at any age. I think the book is really about her coming to terms with the reality of her 1st marriage and maybe also the current one. It is a reminder to all of us about aging and helplessness.

[Nancy Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written book following the day of an 88-year-old woman. I was so impressed by the dialogue between characters. It was so real and photographic. The happenstances of the day are interweaved with memories of the past. I love this book so much. It took me forever to read, but it was worth it.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character in this book is an 88-year-old woman going through her day on December 1st in Laguna Beach. She flashes back through various memories, disjointed by her interactions with her husband, grand daughter, and housekeeper, as well as a few medical problems. The whole story is very realistic, although permeated with an overall feeling of disappointment.

[Malli (Chapter Malliumpkin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly deep and keeps the reader longing to read. However, the way the book was split using parts instead of chapters could be considered a down part to this book. The lack of chapters can also make bookmarking where you left off. Especially if you're someone who likes to read to a certain chapter before you stop or if you like reading up to a good stopping point.

[Steve Kettmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one when it came out and loved the relaxed way it follows a woman, late in life (very late in life, we eventually find out), through a single day. I have waited for Kate Phillips to write another novel, but so far as I know, she has not published anything else.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting look at one day in the life of Ruth an 88 year old women. We read of her quirks while she goes through her day moving between the present and past memories while she faces the pivotal moment of her life which she's suppressed for decades.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the tale of the last days of an eccentric old woman. Her days are filled with hallucinations and old memories. Some of them take imagery from Wonderland.

[Truthmonkey · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some good moments, but overall a dud.

[Dinah · Rating 2 out of 5]

was well-written, but at some point i just lost interest, somehow i didn't really catch on to the story. could be because of the absence of a real plot....

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting literary device, sad and sometimes amusing.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute, but it lacked in certain areas.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

A stinker, pass.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruth, 88, has been married 36 years to a "boob," Henry. Enjoyed this strange book.