Does Eat, Pray, Love sound familiar to you? Elizabeth Gilbert's debut novel, Stern Men was a pleasure of reading, every second of it.
The story of fishermen. Among handful of rough fishermen in Fort Nile Island in Maine, there was Ruth. A 19-year-old girl, born into a practically slave family, spent most of her time that year, getting on a boat and following around Senator Simon Adams, who always dreamed about having his own Natural History Museum filled with elephant tusks that he has collected over years, and Webster Pommeroy, 23-year-old that had stopping growing ever since he lost his father from drowning in the sea whilst fishing.
From his drowning 10 years ago, the first victim of the Fort Nile island was emerged, that name, Mrs. Pommeroy, the first widow of this island. She had many sons, no daughters.
Perhaps, was that why?
Although no blood ties, Mrs. Pommeroy and Ruth were practically a mother and a daughter, Ruth usually staying in her house, playing with her sons, like a brother and a sister.
So then, let's go back to Ruth's ancestries.
Her grandmother, Jane Smith-Ellis, was adopted by Mr. Landford Ellis, the wealthiest doctor in the island, as his daughter Ms. Vera Ellis' theoretically younger sister, technically her poorly treated servant. or slave.
When she was in her late 30s, Ms. Jane got pregnant with some unknown Italian man, which she was criticized for forever. She gave a birth to a baby girl, who later marries to a fisherman, Stan Thomas and becomes Ruth's mom, Mary Thomas.
Even though Ruth's grandmother and mother married to their men, they have always served Ms. Vera Ellis, not even living with their men, but staying in the mansion with Ellises.
Ruth only lives with her father, Stan Thomas, who is very good at saying, "I don't care what you do or who you're spending time with." Such indifferent father that doesn't even care when his daughter said she had sex with someone in the woods. Whatever he was told, he did. No protest, no fighting, even the lobster war, the war in which every lobstermen were attacking and defending their sea territory by using all that kinds of tactic and fighting. Stan Thomas was the only exception, which, even that side of him was perceived as coward by Ruth.
Despite of where her family history has inherited to her, every resident thought that Ruth was an educated girl so far in this island, because Mr. Landford sent her decent high school and wanted to educated her even more, like sending her off in college, at least, that's what Ruth had understood until she discover the truth later.
Although Ruth never wanted to get tangle up with Ellis family at all, because of her family history or whatnot, Mr. Landford Ellies often tried to call her up by sending Cal Cooley, his guard, who often like to flatter Ruth for no reason. Ruth usually refused to go up to Mr. Landford.
Didn't like the epilogue, though. Seemed like the author was hurrying up to wrap up the story.
As you can see or read, there are a lot of interesting, characterful characters in the story about the girl identifying herself surrounded with her undeniable family trait and this weird island full of crazy people trying to enforce her life without her determination.
Elizabeth Gilbert put a lot of provocative dialogues instead of prose, but in the midst of the provocativeness, you will find out how a young girl learned to deal with the situation she was placed in.
