The Autumn of Ruth Winters

Film writer Fine (Accidental Genius) makes his fiction debut with the uplifting story of a 60-something Minnesotan introvert trying to overcome past regrets and bitterness. As a young woman, Ruth Winters dropped out of college to care for her father after her parents’ devastating car accident, which killed her mother and left him paralyzed. Now, having abandoned her dream of becoming a museum curator, she’s laid off from her bookkeeping job and starts babysitting to make ends meet. She remains resentful of her vivacious younger sister, Veronica, who abandoned Ruth and their father decades earlier. When Veronica asks Ruth to drive her to a chemotherapy appointment, Ruth initially balks at the idea but eventually relents, and is upset by Veronica’s physical decline. Veronica apologizes for how she’s treated Ruth over the years, and as the women repair their relationship, Veronica urges Ruth to attend an upcoming high school reunion with Martin Daly, an old flame who became a huge success and is still fond of Ruth. Fine skillfully demonstrates how Ruth’s anxieties and resentment trapped her in a lifelong pattern of self-sabotage. Readers will enjoy cheering for Fine’s late bloomer. Agent: Murray Weiss, Catalyst Literary. (Nov.)