"The Truth About Ruby Cooper" | Reviewed by Pat Sainz

“The Truth About Ruby Cooper,” by Liz Nugent, is a story told in alternative voices and chapters between two sisters, Ruby and Erin Cooper.  Each gives their viewpoint of a criminal incident occurring in 1999 when they were teens. Occasionally, a short chapter is narrated by their mother Maureen in which her perspective is given.    

        In 1999, Erin is a senior in high school. She is beautiful, a talented writer, and kind. She also is in love with Milo, a year older than Erin. He is extraordinarily handsome. Milo had lots of prospective girlfriends, but he chose Erin. Milo has no family money, but with a scholarship at hand, he has plans to complete his dream of being a medical doctor.

      Ruby is a sophomore in high school. Her dream is to be in the theatre, and she is a good actress.  Ruby isn’t blessed with Erin’s looks although she is attractive in her own way and grows into a beauty. Ruby didn’t inherit Erin’s sweet disposition, nor did she inherit Erin’s moral compass.

        Something terrible happens between Milo and the two sisters, and everybody's world changes. Maureen, Ruby’s mother, whisks Ruby back to her own childhood home in Dublin. They live with Maureen’s mother in a small house; a far cry from the lavish home in which her daughters grew up. 

       Erin’s entire world is shattered. She and Milo cannot see each other. Erin’s life, and Ruby's, are changed forever, for the worse. As the novel unfolds, the nefarious behavior of some of the characters is jaw-dropping. It adds to the descent of the sisters’ lives into chaos and disappointment.

       Undoubtedly, all of us are able to assuage guilt in some way by believing the alternate stories we tell ourselves. “The Truth About Ruby Cooper” is a deep dive into how this is possible. It also reveals the physical and emotional consequences of living a lie that harms ourselves and others.

        Liz Nugent is an Irish author whose most recent book, "Strange Sally Diamond,” was a Crime Novel of the Year at the 2023 Irish Book Awards.

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