AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Ruby White has burnt her bridges. She has no job, no direction in life, and just enough money to last a month, if she eats only rice and her cat catches his own meals. When her best friend, Anise, holds a dress-up party, Ruby drowns her sorrows and meets Damien, whose vampire costume belies his sweet nature.
With time on her hands, Ruby soon finds herself at a seminar for those who are Hyper-Auto-Aware, a condition she never knew existed, run by the Jaasmyn Empire, a company she's never heard of. To Ruby's astonishment, and that of those who know her, she is offered a job. Providing everything from meditation CDs, candles and 'specialised sleeping aides' (otherwise known as pillows) to private classes with a psychic therapist (a parrot), the Empire offers solutions for every physical and metaphysical problem ever conceived, and many that haven't been. Ruby swiftly gains a reputation within the Empire for possessing extraordinary abilities even though her 'talents' are in fact no more than guesswork and sarcasm.
Attracting the attention of the charismatic head of the Empire, Jaasmyn, Ruby ignores her misgivings about the Empire's ethics and enjoys fitting in somewhere for the first time in her life. When the reactions of those outside the Jaasmyn Empire become more cynical and her cautious relationship with Damien wavers, Ruby begins to keep her job details secret. As her training progresses, her parents become even more concerned. It seems the zany girl who used to eat chocolate for breakfast and salted pretzels for dinner won't touch anything that isn't organic and the further Ruby penetrates the Empire, the more her behaviour begins to change.
As Ruby disappears into the mire of mind, body and spirit, her friends and family try numerous ways to lure her back but their efforts only push her more into the arms of the Jaasmyn Empire and its mysterious leader. Fortunately Ruby's friend at the empire, DeDe, is onto Jaasmyn and orchestrates an unforgettable media expose.' (From the publisher's website.)
Notes
-
Dedication: For Jenny, for whom this story was begun, and for Pete, for whom it was finished.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Lia Weston – Author Interview
2010
single work
interview
— Appears in: The Australian Literature Review , July 2010; -
In Short : Fiction
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 21-22 August 2010; (p. 34)
— Review of The Fortunes of Ruby White 2010 single work novel -
[Review] The Fortunes of Ruby White
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , July vol. 89 no. 9 2010; (p. 34)
— Review of The Fortunes of Ruby White 2010 single work novel -
Off the Shelf : Fiction
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 17 July 2010; (p. 30)
— Review of The Fortunes of Ruby White 2010 single work novel -
First-time Author Lia is Living the Writer's Dream
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 2 July 2010; (p. 36)
-
Off the Shelf : Fiction
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 17 July 2010; (p. 30)
— Review of The Fortunes of Ruby White 2010 single work novel -
[Review] The Fortunes of Ruby White
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , July vol. 89 no. 9 2010; (p. 34)
— Review of The Fortunes of Ruby White 2010 single work novel -
In Short : Fiction
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 21-22 August 2010; (p. 34)
— Review of The Fortunes of Ruby White 2010 single work novel -
First-time Author Lia is Living the Writer's Dream
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 2 July 2010; (p. 36) -
Lia Weston – Author Interview
2010
single work
interview
— Appears in: The Australian Literature Review , July 2010;