Ain't No Sunshine

by Leslie DuBois

Whites Only. Those words adorned every building in Livingston, Virginia during the summer of 1963 confusing and angering five-year-old Stephen Phillips. Those words told him that what he felt for his colored neighbor Ruthie was wrong. As a teenager, Ruthie becomes the only ray of sunshine in his abusive life and he is not willing to let her go without a fight, a fight that could lead to murder.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Interracial Romance, Drama, Historical, Abuse

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2010

About the author

Sybil Nelson lives in Charleston, SC with her husband and two daughters. She is a PhD student at the Medical University of South Carolina and has written ten novels."

Reviews

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one left me reeling... It has a lot in its favor. This is one of those books that I found myself asking, "Why is it self pubbed? This is good stuff..."

First of all, even though the narrator is male, I loved his voice. I loved the way he showed his story, not told it. He drew me in, had my sympathizing, and wondering what was going to happen to him next. Second, I could not for the life of me figure out what was going to happen. Just when I thought I had the entire story figured out... it went a totally different path.

The narrator is Stephen, the time is the 1970s. He has been picked up by the police and is being interrogated about the death of his father and why he and Ruthie, an African American girl, are running from the law. Shephen sits there and tells his and Ruthie's story and what a story!!

Stephen's dad is a reverend who is one man in public and an abusive man at home... "It made me sick the way people fawned over him like he was heaven incarnate. He fooled everyone into thinking he was just simply angelic. In public, his light brown eyes would glisten and gleam with kindness and sincerity, but at home, I was sure those eyes were from Satan himself."

Stephen seeks comfort from the abuse at home with his neighbor, Ruthie. He grows up with Ruthie and falls in love with her.. Despite their difference in skin color, he wants to marry her... but it seems his dad has something to say about that.

The dad winds up dead... family secrets are revealed and they are shocking... and Stephen and Ruthie end up on the run. Are they able to be together? Are they arrested? I'm not saying.

A shocker of a book and a quick read. The author doesn't overburden it with unnecessary details to make it a door stopper.

[Charmer (+ Vibes Only) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! WOW! I can see myself reading it, again. Stephen and Ruthie, I loved their story. I couldn't put it down, I read it straight thru. This was one of the best stories I've read in a long time. It's most definitely one of my favorites, now. I want more stories like this. Love stories that doesn't have a woman submitting, or begging for more, (that crap urks me) or that always has the man as the hero. I enjoyed not reading any of that. It truly was a GOOD READ.

[AKA · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars...

Ignore the cover, there is nothing erotic/sexy about this one. I think it's misleading to categorize this book as romance at all. The relationship between Stephen and Ruthie is romanticized in a coming of age sort of way but this is high drama with a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure. While the incest is only referred to-the only detailed intimacy is between Stephen and a random girl- the child abuse, domestic violence, and racism are all vividly detailed (the casual way Stephen graphically recounts a beating toward the beginning is heartbreaking). This story was like Degrassi, it went there.

Stephen is the mentally and physically abused son of a crazy preacher and his equally abused wife. Ruthie is his orphaned best friend. They grow up as each other's only confidant in segregated Virginia and fall in love. That is a problem as they aren't the same race... and another shocker comes up once they get to high school.

I knew going in Stephen wouldn't be the most reliable narrator and that in the end they did indeed have the same father but I never felt like knowing the big secret detracted from getting to its reveal. He was giving off a Verbal Kent vibe from the beginning and as much as I dislike first person POV, it worked really well so far as it felt like he was telling me a story.

Unfortunately, that is where the Usual Suspects comparison ends and why I couldn't give this book 4 stars. Seeing every character through the first person narrator's eyes would have worked better if we had also gotten Ruthie's POV. As she was at the center of everything Stephen did and just about every positive thought he had, it would have been great to see WHY he just existed without her. Instead, we get a list of attributes and details of stolen and pivotal moments where Ruthie has no real voice. We only get his interpretation and if ever a relationship was crying out for clarity and nuance, this was the one.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book up until the very end. The drama and the portrayal of both child and spousal abuse was captivating. Like many prominent moral authorities, the Reverend Phillips is a terror in his private life and no moral authority at all. Reading about what Stephen and his mom go through should open eyes to what really happens in an abusive home, if one doesn't already have a good idea.

It was clear from the beginning that Ruthie and Stephen were going to end up together, even if you ignored the very beginning in the police station. Of course they would fall in love, the only other person they could ever depend on was each other.

What I didn't like, and why I only gave this book three stars is the ending. The author presents the story from the back end and tells us all what happened from the end of the book. When this happens, I expect that there won't be a huge cloud of mystery (obviously we already know he's alive and with Ruthie). I expect some surprises, but I also expect honesty. I didn't get that in this book. You go through the whole thing and at the very end its "haha, I fooled you too, reader". I don't mind mystery, I don't mind confusion, I don't mind not knowing what's going on, but I DO hate being lied to and having the author pull a joke on me. And unfortunately, that feeling was what I was left with at the end of this book. It drowned out all of the writing and the excellent story line. I'm not sure I'd want to read something by this author again, although the writing is good...

[Jessa ♥ EvilDarkSide · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 STARS

This story will pull you in from the beginning and have you sympathizing with the main characters early on. The writing is strong and the love story between Stephen and Ruthie is well written. Why only 2 1/2 stars then? The part of the story where two people fall in love and deal with interracial aspects and hardships was beautifully done...and that would have been enough for me. It was the deep buried family secrets that came to light about halfway through the story that turned everything upside down. Plot twists are sometimes a good thing as they keep stories interesting and unique. But, in my opinion, this particular plot twist was not in the story's favor.

To sum it up: Good writing with strong character building...and a turbulent plot twist that never quite brought the story back on course for me.

[Mspraise50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book and read it in one sitting. This is Stephen and Ruthie’s story. The story actually broke my heart. It’s an emotional roller coaster of a read and had me in knots. I cannot give away any of the story-line except to say, there is suspense, thriller, murder, abuse, love. This story was engrossing and a page turner and had me in a totally head spin. I have always wanted to read a story with this theme because I know how difficult it must be to fall in love and then have someone tell you, your love is forbidden! I knew where the story was headed by about page 55 however as it unfolds with the twists/ turns and then the conclusion I was like.... I can totally understand/empathize with why you did what you did Stephen and Ruthie! I highly recommend this read

[Stella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the premise and the theme, but the characters were very one dimensional and everyone in the story was a cliche.

[Ivory · Rating 4 out of 5]

That ending....man, I really believed.

[sjoyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Was Really True?

Is this novella an interracial romance with mystery? Or, is this a mystery with some interracial romance thrown in? Is it a historical romance set in the South of the 1960s? Is there anything believable in this novella? Are the characters believable or even probable?

This seems to be a historical, interracial mystery with romance added in. There were a lot of societal ills - overt racism and physical and sexual abuse and incest. Mostly it seems unbelievable given it was set in the integrated South of the 1960s. Even before the lies came out, there wasn't much believable about the book or the characters. Why would the well established preacher, Theodore, love the "n-word" girl, Ruthie, but hate his son, Stephen, and his wife Marjorie? Why did he beat them and only Matthew would save them from him? Who was Matthew? Did he really exist? Why would Ruthie be allowed to live with Grandma Esther who had dementia for over ten years? Why would Marjorie comb Ruthie's hair and dress her everyday for school?

If Matthew never existed, did Mabel, the wife's governess really exist? What grown, married woman needed a governess? Why would Mabel continue to live with Marjorie even after she married the Theodore? What really happened to her? There were too many unanswered questions. There was too much backstory that made no sense and seemed improbable. The Epilogue was supposed to explain everything but revealed more lies and left more unanswered questions. Apparently, it also gave cover for the incest to continue.

[Heidi Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I literally read this short story from start to finish without moving a muscle! It quickly captured me and held me right to the very end.

[C.E. Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ain’t No Sunshine, a novella written by Leslie DuBois.

This story wowed me. I was drawn in immediately and the wonderful narration kept me glued. The imagery is strong and the dialogue is believable and engaging. I was moved by the characters and cared about their outcome.

The story begins as Stephen Phillips is interrogated by a badgering Chicago police officer. “Did you do it, Stephen?” The officer places gruesome photos of Reverend Phillips’ bloody corpse on the table, but Stephen refuses to look at them. “Why don't you look at your father's mutilated body? Beaten to death with a shovel outside his own home."

The officer continues asking Stephen if he murdered the man who lay dead in Virginia. The same man who raised and loved him for eighteen years. Stephen replies, “My father never loved me. Never.”

When the officer’s goading doesn’t get the desired response, he attempts another tactic—changing the direction of the conversation to Stephen’s girlfriend Ruthie who sits in a nearby interrogation room.

Excerpt:
"Maybe I'll just have to ask that pretty little colored girlfriend of yours," he said, staring at Ruthie's picture and licking his lips.
"You leave her out of this." My hands clenched into fists.
"I don't know if I can do that. She seems to be pretty involved." He kept staring at her picture as he spoke. "Your father is found dead at your home in Virginia and you're found seven hundred miles away with a Negro whore. I can't -"
He didn't get to finish his thought. I leapt across the table and started pounding his face in. Seconds later, I was subdued by several officers. They placed me back in the chair and handcuffed me to the table.
This was getting worse and worse by the minute. I'd gladly go to jail for killing that man. He deserved to die. I just didn't want Ruthie to get dragged into this. After all we'd been through, at least one of us deserved a chance to be happy.

After the room settles, another officer enters the room. Lieutenant Drake has a friendlier, gentle approach, and Stephen begins to soften.

Excerpt:
"Why are you running? You know running only makes you look guilty and I don't really believe you killed your father. I don't think you're capable."
I stared at him. "You have no idea what I'm capable of. You have no idea what that man did to me."
"You're right. I don't," he said, trying to hide his surprise at my response. He sat down and crossed his arms. "So why don't you tell me? You obviously have a story and you need someone to listen. So tell me your story. Tell me everything."

Stephen’s story soon begins to flow. He tells about Ruthie, his childhood friend, and how their friendship eventually blossomed into a powerful love as they grew—despite the fact that loving a ‘colored’ was forbidden. He remembered staring up at the colored balcony in his father’s church when he was six years old, trying to catch a glimpse of his beautiful Ruthie. He paid for it when he got home with a beating. That didn’t stop his love for Ruthie. He refused to let his father take the one thing in his life that brought him true happiness.

He tells the officer about the lifetime of abuse he, his brother (Matthew), and mother (Marjorie) endured by the hands of the cherished small town Virginia reverend, Theodore Phillips. His father’s explosive anger and violence plagued him every day. After years of violent abuse, Matthew disappeared, and Marjorie suffered mercilessly until becoming an empty shell; but Stephen endured by retreating into that loved part of his heart. The beautiful part that Ruthie filled.

Stephen divulges the many ordeals that cursed his life that led to the day Theodore Phillips died. He reveals the eccentricities, secrets, and atrocities his father kept concealed behind his reverend cloak, and in the end, the truth behind the reverend’s death.

Upon completing this novella, I felt somewhat changed. It is a sad story with victories, and a terrifying tale with soft and loving moments. Such a wide range of emotions that finally left me feeling satisfied—yet not settled.

[Titi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about two young people who grew up together in the 1960s racial south who eventually fall in love with each other. This would not be a problem except one is black and the other is white. Stephen is the son a white pastor and Ruthie is a black girl who happens to live in a cottage at the end of Stephen's fathers property. They forge a friendship because they hold a common bond of struggle--Stephen is living with an abusive father and a passive mother, Ruthie is dealing with being black in the South. This book was a very quick read I started it at one am not expecting to get through the whole thing but by three o'clock I was done. It was a very fast paced and exciting novel and I could not put my iPad down until I had read the whole thing. I recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good love story. I must mention there is a plot twist in this book that I kinda guessed from reading the first couple of chapters. Maybe I would not have been so alerted to it if I had not read the reviews before reading the book. Needless to say this was a very enjoyable read and I cannot wait to read more books by this author.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen and Ruthie spend their childhood years living next door to one another and spending every minute of their free time together. Stephen is being raised by a vicious and violent father and an abused and ineffective mother and Ruthie often treats his wounds and consoles him. As time moves on the feelings that Ruthie and Stephen share outgrow their childhood fancies and mature even as they do. Eventually they realize they have fallen in love and want to spend their lives together. The catches? Stephen is white and Ruthie is biracial. It's 1963 and they live in a small backwoods town in Virginia. Stephen's father seems to have an unnatural attraction to Ruthie.

Their tale has twists and turns and culminates in a scenario I never saw coming. Honestly explores racial issues prevalent during that era and the mysteries and heartbreaks of young love.

[Amanda Kitchens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 6 hours. All I can say is WOW! I highly recommend this book, its one of the best I've read in a long time. I picked it up because I can relate to the main characters and their interracial relationship, families that aren't exactly accepting, and the negativity that goes along with it in certain places. This book is so much more than that! I fell in love with the characters from the start, this book sent me through a roller coaster of emotions. A few times I stopped reading with my mouth wide open in complete shock and that's exactly how I felt when it ended. I won't give too many details as to not give anything away, but this book will leave you speechless. Everyone should read it, I will be recommending it for years to come!!

[--karen Green-berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Story- BRAB Online Book Club

I read this book in a few hours. This book was recommended in a few bookclubs but so have others, but this one left me speechless. It had so many twist and turns, I didn't know what to expect or say except that it's intriguing and wonderful.

Ritchie and Stephen grew up together but their relationship was always considered taboo. He was white and she was biracial/black. The story started with them as children and took us through their childhood as well the stories of the adults as well.

Without giving away the story, I must say the story kept me on my toes and I could not put it down until I was finished. Everyone loves when the characters get their HEA but somehow this was a hard fight that in the end it still seems tainted.

[Karenw · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ain't No Sunshine" is a well-written engaging book that chronicles an abusive home life and the burgeoning cross-racial love between two young people. There were a couple of surprises toward the end of the book, and I did not see them coming. Hats off to the author for that! The sympathy a reader feels for the protagonist takes a bit of hit when the plot shifts, leaving the reader unsure how to feel. Without including any spoilers, I really can't expand on that. But it is an excellent book that has the reader really feeling for and caring about the characters. There were relatively few typos or other errors. It was a superbly plotted and expertly executed story.

[Dr. Bronwyn Ph.D of Smutology · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a challenge read and is not at all my usual genre. For about 3/4 of the book I thought it was enjoyable yet fairly predictable.

Then bam!!! Everything flips. Well written, dealing with the drama that was that time in history in regards to interracial relationships. I felt like the story was missing some undeniable emotion that gives you real insight into the characters but because it was written in a story telling fashion we never got any other points of view. I wanted more but was still very content with the ending.

[Bookwormgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good writing and character development. Leslie DuBois pulled no punches with this story and ends it with a twist (call me caught up with the story, but I didn't see that twist coming).

Between an abusive father, racism, and life in Virginia during the late sixties and early seventies you have a coming of age love story.




I got this as a free read on amazon and had no real expectations other than my friend Shenika gave it 5 stars. Thanks Shenika for finding this one!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW!

Pixel of Ink readers highly recommended this book so I decided I finally needed to set some time aside to read it.

The beginning felt a little slow to me, but it worked well to read in tidbits here and there when I only had a few minutes to read - so it worked well and I kept reading. I'm VERY glad I did. The story just got better and better and the ending was a *major* zinger that will shock everyone.

Great story! I look forward to reading more books by Leslie DuBois!

[Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect to love this story so much, but it grabbed me from the very beginning. Yes the story deals with some very uncomfortable sexual themes that many have problems with, but these are themes that are real and true to the time period regardless of how people feel about it.

I wish the story had had a different ending but find that this ending happened more times in the south at that time period than people are willing to admit.

[Bukcrz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It begins like an easy weekend read, predictable yet engrossing. Then 90 % on and I am on the edge of my chair. Then I laughed at the very ‘tail twisting’ epilogue. I don’t know where I got that phrase but that's the image that comes up while I sat there grinning at the end of the book. There are issues on the book that, in the past, made me put a book down instantly. However, by the time the issue arise, there is a bigger mystery that caught my attention.

[Kelster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it seemed pretty predictable and some of it was but I enjoyed how everything came together at the end. Very smooth read and I remained interested right from the start. I thought the characters were 3 dimensional and I loved that we saw the relationship between Ruthie and Stephan grow and develop over time.

[Angie Caudill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm dizzy. This story was like an attempt to answer a riddle. Something like : if Theresa's grandmother is my daughter's mother, how many pencils could you eat before you get lead poisoning. The story did trigger an audible gasp from me which rarely happens. That alone earns it 4 stars.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one. Most of the characters were believable. The ending was not exactly predictable, but, that's what made it so great. Great read!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a seriously disturbing story, but it was really well written and just leaves you breathless.

[Mercedes Keyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by readers at JK Space Nook... needing a break, I gave it a try! 5 stars and then some! What an enjoyable day I spend starting and finishing this short sweet gem!

[Fashionista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book. All I can say is OMG regarding the Ending!!!!

[Trishla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book last year but, if I recall, I'd say it would have been a 3-star review if not for the KUH-RAZY twist! That's all I'm gonna say about that.

[Marcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this in one day. Was a definite page-turner with some twists I never saw coming.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was not time for mixed race relationships, but it seemed Stephen love Ruthie all his life. His older brother tried to protect him from an abusive father. It is a horrid story that is reflective of the attitudes during the 1960s. When they finally are old enough to take off, his father, the Reverend Theodore, is killed. Stopped by the police for a broken taillight, Stephen is the prime suspect. There is nothing pleasant about family and their sordid secrets. Ellipsis is overused and distracted readers. However, the story rates a four for the surprise ending.