WAY DOWN DEEP

1. Bibliography

White, Ruth. 2007. Way Down Deep. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374382514

2. Plot Summary

            After appearing at the courthouse, Ruby is taken in by Miss Arbutus, who runs the boarding house. The story follows Ruby as she makes new friends and tries to discover her past.

3. Critical Analysis

            The story is a mixture of fable and historical fiction. The town might exist, but the name certainly isn’t really Way Down Deep. The story is set in a West Virginia in a town with a made-up name. The story presents a fictional history of the town and each of the characters, but is set in the late 1940’s to the early 1950’s. The actions of the characters and the layout of the town are presented in a historically accurate manner. Much can be learned about small town life in the 1950’s from this story. Since the story is also a fable, the historical aspects are small and hidden. This fact makes this story a great book for those who dislike historical fiction. The story is not focused on the history, but instead it is focused on Ruby’s adventures and the people that surround her. Backgrounds are and a large amount of detail are presented for the majority of the characters. The town and the settings which Ruby visits are also presented in a great amount of detail. This helps to build the reliability of the characters and their actions as the story builds. The stories plot focuses on Ruby’s discovery of where she comes from. The theme falls in line with the plot when Ruby is faced with discovering who she is, a question which everyone still faces in modern times.  

4. Reviews

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee

From Publisher’s Weekly; “…Some of White's narrative teeters on the wobbly edge of farce: the Reeder siblings, for instance, are named Peter, Cedar, Jeeter, Skeeter and baby Rita ("Mama had run out of rhyming names, so she had to settle for a tongue twister," explains oldest sibling Peter). But as the mystery of Ruby's origins unravels, White reigns in her eccentric cast to focus on the girl's tender relationship with Miss Arbutus, and the story finds an emotional center. The ending is a bit neat, but this book brims with wise observations and beautifully realized moments, such as when Ruby explains what Miss Arbutus told her about why a fellow boarder, haunted by the mother who gave him up for adoption as a baby, sleeps all day: "God is in that place where sleep takes us. Way down deep inside, where all the answers lie.”

From Children’s Literature; “…In less capable hands this material could easily turn to treacle but here it assumes the dimensions of a mystically guided journey. It is Ruby's journey, in fact, and soon an uncle turns up to claim her. The cast of characters is purely delightful—among them Cedar Reeder, who is afflicted with cussitis and swears in energetic code; nonagenarian Mrs. Rife, who throws rocks at people walking past her house; and Reese, who serenades Ruby with popular ditties of the period, amusingly placed. Sometimes the answers to Ruby's questions arrive a little too readily. Grandma Combs seems antagonistic enough to make the pluckiest orphan tremble, although her transformation into guilty survivor feels a bit neat. Still, in all, this is a charming tale of family, loss, and identity.”

5. Connections

* How do you think Ruby came to be in Way Down Deep?

*Draw what you think your favorite character looks like?

* If Way Down Deep was a real town where would you think it would be placed on a map, use the resources available to you. Is there a town already there, if so research the town in that location. Discover, if possible, what it was like during the 1940’s and 1950’s. Is it similar to Way Down Deep?

           

* Other books by Ruth White:

            White, Ruth. The Search for Belle Prater. ISBN 0440421640

White, Ruth. Buttermilk Hill. ISBN 0374410038

White, Ruth. Weeping Willow. ISBN 0374482802