What seems bright and shiny and filled with promise on the surface is really soaked through with misery, misfortune and pain ... Taking in Etter’s explosive, often grotesque prose in one sitting isn’t for the faint of heart. In a weird way, reading Ripe feels like being hit over the head with a cast-iron frying pan, then willingly going back for more ... Etter’s true-to-life depiction of Cassie’s abortion and its aftermath is worth a gander, too. Her clear-eyed portrayal of the harrowing ordeal serves as a powerful reminder of yet another right we Americans have given up in this post-Roe world — the freedom of choice and equal access to necessary, life-affirming resources.
Absorbing and sharp ... Ripe can feel repetitive...but Etter’s exquisite prose powers the book. There are also moments when one wishes that Cassie might seek more connection with others, might reflect a bit more deeply about those around her. However, Etter doesn’t grant us such easy ways out. Sometimes embracing the darkness is the only way to get through it.
Hopeless ... Surrealist writing, with its disorienting, even anarchic associations, exposes the inherent absurdity of human behavior ... Harrowing ... Encapsulates a profound journey of self-realization and how one confronts the impending shadows of unhappiness ... [A] vivid expression of our contemporary reality.
While Etter’s two narratives may twist together before pulling apart, it must be said that their target audiences might not necessarily overlap. Ripe will appeal to readers of Wiener’s memoir if they had preferred it to be laced with the disillusioned ennui of Raven Lelani’s Luster ... Without the lush lyricism and surrealism that made The Book of X such a deservedly timeless cult classic, Ripe is a straightforward parable of a working woman in the soul-sucking environs of Big Tech.
Masterfully juxtaposing 'wild amounts of wealth' with 'extreme poverty and displacement,' Etter examines deep inequities in an image-obsessed, capitalist society. Her biting social commentary layers horror with dark comedy, using vivid imagery and striking language to great effect. Readers will savor this astonishing tour de force.
