Ruin: and Other Stories

by Emma Hislop

Women and girls walk a perilously thin line between ruin and redemption in these stories as they try— with varying degrees of success— to outmaneuver the violence that threatens to define their lives. There' s the physical violence of men against their bodies— and sometimes the violence they exact in revenge. While doubts about a romantic partner, an abandonment by a sister, the fallout of a parent' s pornography addiction, the betrayal of a friend, even the desire to touch a stranger' s fur-like body are subtler aggressions that pack their own kinds of punches. Moving between contemporary New Zealand and London, and a dreamlike landscape that isn't quite real, this debut collection shimmers with a brutal kind of hope, exploring power and its contortions, powerlessness and its depravities, and the ends to which we will go to claim back agency.

Genres: Short Stories

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 8, 2023

Reviews

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruin was an awesome collection of short fiction that had me hooked. Once I started a story, I couldn’t put it down. The tension building was masterful, as were the dynamics between characters in friendships, relationships and different positions of power. My favourite stories were ‘Housewarming’, ‘Scarce Objects’, and ‘Mistaken’. ‘Sweet on the Comedown’ was the perfect story to end the collection, it had elements of every story in it and was so satisfying. Would highly recommend!

[Renée Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of stories describes exactly what it’s like to be a woman, navigate the world and it’s varying degrees and violence and dangers. To negotiate, compromise and placate in order to keep yourself safe. Scariest shit I’ve ever read.

[Anna Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was brilliantly written, but every story made me feel uncomfortable and/or depressed. I loved the last one the most, Sweet on the Comedown. It was very satisfying.

[Lucia Campbell-Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

3

Ruin is a collection of 13 short stories set in or between London and Aotearoa. There are many patterns that run throughout the stories, the main one being that each one includes a woman and her relationship or experience with one or more man, each of whom either cheats, has weird sexual tendencies, has pedophilic tendencies, or is a rapist (minus the very first story). So, be warned, it's not a particularly upbeat pukapuka. Another frequent pattern throughout the stories is the main character being a wahine māori who's partner is an insufferable, uneducated (and usually abusive) pākeha man.

Many aspects of Emma's writing/plots are quite cool, and I respect her writing and this book, however I didn't enjoy reading it all that much. Her writing style is quite blunt, brief, and sometimes confusing, and I couldn't connect all that much to the stories as they were so quick and vague. Another little pet peeve of mine was that a quirk of Emma's writing style is that she finishes her stories with random sentences, describing a minute detail or inanimate object that has nothing to do with the story. It's kinda cool, but kinda hōhā, and leaves almost all of the stories feeling unfinished and with questions unanswered, which is probably the intention.

Scarce Objects, Missing, and Red Flags were my favourite stories, as well as the opening 3 page-er, Fur, which was pretty crack up. All in all, I certainly don't regret reading it, they are important experiences and perspectives that Emma shone light on, and the physical book itself is gorgeous, but I wouldn't read it again.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously written, with sparse prose that encourages you to grasp at every detail Hislop gives you, Ruin is an incredibly important book, all about the toxic influence of bad men in women's lives. Each separate story was engrossing and thematically linked, yet so beautifully different. Hislop's skill is in making you feel so easily for the women involved in these stories, wrapped up in their lives and dramas is of course frequently depressing but oh so easy, and you want to see more. Everything you see leaves you wanting more - which of course indicates to me that this is extraordinarily well written. I read it all in one sitting.

A must-read if you're interested in Aotearoa short fiction!

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Now she could see this too - that all the solid things she enlisted would weigh her down."

Brilliant writing, captivating characters, troublesome women, mesmerizing storilines, very millennial... however, I felt all stories didn't quite finish at the right point. 😕

Things were blunt or hurried or meh. I really felt a different editor could have done a better job, pushing Emma's writing to where it should be.

[Zachary Ngow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this collection after reading an article on it citing Janice Galloway as an influence. It is aptly titled, this book is tales of ruins of the lives of women, mostly at the hands of men. I liked the stories at the latter half more, especially 'Missing' and 'Shadow'. Missing uses both meanings of the word whenua in a story of loss. I also loved the opening one 'Fur'. And the cover art is amazing.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book a year or so ago and read the same single story in it three times. So good!! I finally started chipping away at it more recently, every story a gem. Such ugly little problems, so subtly explored, just masterful. So many I’ll be re-reading.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting character exploration. I liked how the stories revisited and reexamined similar themes around women's experiences. Oftentimes, sad and disturbing, and I'll be thinking about it for ages.

[Fiona Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy this book packs a punch. Beginning with stories of strong physical feeling, Ruin marches on to tackle taboo testimonials - stories that MUST be told: of the usurping of agency over their bodies, feelings, futures - by men wanting to see them through their own lens, seeking ownership, control or to thwart them from independence, success and determination.

[Sophie Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!! This was so masterfully written, an incredible example of the genre. realistic and gritty. Lost a star because I don’t think I was in the right headspace for these stories: found them unrelentingly grim (be warned).