YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The FOX43 Book Club highlights the works of local authors with ties to south-central Pennsylvania.
July's pick, "Rubyfruit Jungle," was author Rita Mae Brown's debut novel. Originally from York County, Brown now makes her home in Virginia. As well as being an Emmy-nominated screenwriter and a poet, the author is also a Master of Foxhounds and the huntsman.
"Rubyfruit Jungle" is a coming-of-age novel that tells the story of Molly Bolt, who lives in the South with her adoptive parents and refuses to shun her romantic desires to fit in with society. The beautiful young woman sets out to forge her own path and create a life in which she can be free and happy.
The story loosely mirrors Brown's own life—Molly starts to grow up in York, just as the author herself did.
"Being the FOX43 book club pick is just so cool, and if only my mother were alive to see it!" Brown said, via email. "When I was a kid, we lived behind UHF 43. I’d walk into the studio and they’d interview me about what was going on in school—and I just loved it."
From York, the author (and her main character) moved to Florida before hitchhiking solo up to New York City. Brown's own experiences and the cultural climate during her childhood helped shape the novel.
"I don’t even know if it was knowledge and experience, I just sat down to have a good time," Brown said. "I wanted to see more humor represented in the feminist movement—of course, there is always misery and mistreatment, but it doesn’t mean there can’t be humor too."
Humor is one of the driving forces of Molly's personality. She uses humor as a vessel for everything from exacting revenge on those who have wronged her to securing peoples' loyalty to sheltering herself from the ridicule she often endured for being unapologetically herself.
"I was fascinated with Molly Bolt because she really didn’t fit in, but she wasn’t a weirdo," the author said. "She was popular enough, but she had different dreams and nobody quite got her. She was sort of bumbling along and finally got to NYC where she was able to ask the questions she really needed to ask and began to look at women differently. Her mother, a fascinating character to write, was afraid for her kid—why make a choice to make your life more difficult? The older I get, the more I understand the mother character."
Another similarity Brown shares with Molly is their love of the classics. The author credits those classes with fostering her love for writing and subsequently launching her career.
"Latin and Greek. I wouldn’t be doing squat if I didn’t have those classes," Brown said. "I learned so much about language, structure, plot, character, about how you move a story, when you slow down, when you speed up. Read Seneca, read Plautus—it’s all there."
The oft-published writer started her career early, but her trajectory changed as she grew older.
"I wrote poetry and published a collection when I was young," Brown said. "I thought that’d be my route because poetry is so difficult, especially in the English language. I liked that challenge, but I realized in a flash of common sense that I might never eat if I went down that path. I loved poetry and thought, 'Well maybe I can do a novel.' And I loved writing 'Rubyfruit Jungle.' I’m 78 ½ and I love writing more now than I did then. I’m one of those lucky people who gets to do what they love."
And Brown is still doing what she loves. Her next book, Lost & Hound, will be available on Oct. 24. The story is book number 15 in the author's “Sister Jane” series.
“Cunning foxes, sensible hounds, and sweet-tempered horses are among the sparkling conversationalists in this charming series,” said The New York Times Book Review.
Those interested can keep up with Brown on her website.
Check out the video above for meteorologist Ally Debicki and digital content producer Kayleigh Johnson's discussion of "Rubyfruit Jungle." To participate in future discussions, please head to the FOX43 Book Club Facebook group!