Why Idaho by Emily Ruskovich Didn’t Quite Gel For Me

Idaho, Emily RuskovichFiction
Released January 3, 2017
320 Pages
Bottom Line: Skip it.
Affiliate Link: Amazon
Source: Publisher (Random House) via NetGalley

Headline

This debut novel has some intriguing story elements, but they never quite gel into a cohesive story.

Plot Summary

Ann Mitchell tries to piece together the details behind the crime that ended her husband, Wade’s, first marriage, and landed his ex-wife (Jenny) in prison for murder.

Why I Read It

This debut novel caught my attention when I reviewed Random House’s Spring 2017 catalog and, later, I heard good things about it from Shannon at River City Reading.

Major Themes

Marriage, family secrets, memory

What I Liked

  • Idaho is a quiet mystery of what happened to a family…and I don’t think I’ve ever used the words quiet and mystery in the same sentence. However, this combination had promise.
  • While the story is built around the crime that destroyed Wade’s family, that’s not really what the book is about. It’s more about the layers on top of the central mystery (Wade and Ann’s marriage, Wade’s illness, living under a cloud that you don’t know much about)…making it feel like more than your average mystery.
  • The writing is gorgeous at times. There are beautiful sentences, but they rarely string together to create a gorgeous paragraph or chapter.

The postwoman in Ponderosa feels entitled; she moves with confidence and knowing, as if because her fingertips have had the privilege of sorting out Ann’s envelopes, she has glimpsed what she thinks is inside them all – lies, pleas, false trails, dirty news, licked closed by the tongues of the past.

What I Didn’t Like

  • This is an odd book. There were times when I couldn’t put it down and others when I found myself skimming just to get through it. I was intrigued at times, but bewildered at others.
  • There are compelling elements to this story…I think the downfall is in the execution. The story construction is clunky and there are a number of sub-plots going on, yet they never converge into a central theme. It’s almost like Ruskovich couldn’t decide whether the book was about Wade and Ann’s marriage, Wade’s illness, the murder itself, or Jenny’s fate following the murder and her experience in prison.
  • There were parts of the story that seemed pointless and confusing (ex: Ann’s imaginings of how the murder might have happened, Elliott’s – an extremely minor character – romantic issues later in life)…but I was sure things would all tie together in the end. They didn’t.
  • The major questions of the book were never addressed. I don’t mind open-ended endings, but this was so extreme that it made me wonder what the point of the book was. For example, one of the things that kept me reading was to find out why Jenny committed the murder she did. There are sections of the story from Jenny’s perspective while she’s in prison where Ruskovich could easily have addressed the why of it all, but never did.
  • While beautiful at times, the writing also veered into “head-in-the-clouds” territory too often for my taste.

The sameness of that prison wall is like a winter spent in a wilderness you can’t hope to matter to.

A Defining Quote

“You know you don’t like me going up there, but you don’t know why. You’re so angry at me and you don’t remember why.”

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41 Comments

  1. That is disappointing. I would find an uninvolved (at the time) character imaging how a crime might have happened irritating, too. Kind of like characters having repetitive dreams that are red herrings.

    Posted 1.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Oooh – I can’t stand dreams in books! Yeah – the imaginings just seemed pointless.

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
  2. I’m sorry this one didn’t work for you, especially when you read it based on my raving (which I tend to do a fair bit)! I think I probably liked many of the things you didn’t, which tends to happen with us readers once in a while. (I definitely got why she committed the murder, though!)

    Posted 1.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Haha – no worries – that’s how things go with reading sometimes!

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
    • Cory wrote:

      Why do you think she commit the murder? I’m just curious. My review of the book was very similar to Sarah’s.

      Posted 3.6.17 Reply
    • Shannon wrote:

      Why did she summit the murder? That point was completely lost on me.

      Posted 3.11.17 Reply
      • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

        ME too 🙂 It’s still lost on me!

        Posted 3.14.17 Reply
    • Paul Fontaine wrote:

      Pray, tell.

      Posted 7.11.19 Reply
  3. Well that’s disappointing! Those are things that would have bothered me, too…

    Posted 1.5.17 Reply
  4. I don’t think there’s enough in this one to keep me engaged with the way my reading’s been lately.

    Posted 1.5.17 Reply
  5. I understand completely the reasons you didn’t like Idaho. Some of them really bothered me, too. (Like the veering into minor characters’ lives.) I began to really like Idaho when I stopped caring about the crime and looked at it as Ann’s story, and in that I think Ruskovich did a great job.

    Posted 1.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      That’s a good point. I guess I never stopped caring about the crime.

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
  6. Bummer this one didn’t work for you. The synopsis sounds so promising but i feel like I would have the same problems with you…too much plot that doesn’t connect is definitely the worst.

    Posted 1.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I know – the synopsis totally had me hooked!

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
  7. Toady wrote:

    Don’t you just hate books that could be good, but end up going so wrong. I love family drama and secrets, but I get really bent out of sorts when a book has a lot of pointless patter. Once I feel the urge to start skimming (something that I refuse to do) over stuff like that, I will toss it aside, unless I am quite far in the book, in which case I may push on. If I pushed on and then didn’t get the answers to the chunk of the story I would be mad as hell. So glad to have read your review, so I don’t get the urge to put this on my TBR.

    Posted 1.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I was pretty far into things when I started skimming. Too far to DNF. Plus, I wanted to see if they’d ever explain the crime…but no such luck.

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
  8. Stacy wrote:

    I’ve read a couple of other reviews that were less than favorable for Idaho. With ambiguous endings and story line I think I’ll pass on this one – would just make me mad 🙂 I like my books all wrapped up and tidy as an escape to life rather than an imitation of life! Hate this one didn’t work out for you.

    Posted 1.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Glad to know I’m not alone! I normally don’t mind open-ended endings, but they can’t be so extreme that they render the story pointless.

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
  9. After reading a few reviews, I don’t think this book is for me! Your review really helped me make that decision…..

    Posted 1.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Glad to help 🙂

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
  10. Michelle wrote:

    I saw this being praised somewhere else lately and thought it looked intriguing. However, after reading your review, the issues you had with it are definitely going to be problems for me too. I will most likely pass on this one. Thanks for your honesty!

    Posted 1.6.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority on this one…so I think there’s a fair amount of praise out there.

      And you’re welcome 🙂

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
      • Julia Stephen wrote:

        I agree with your review. One thing that bothered me throughout was Wade’s increasingly violent acts towards Ann. I cannot imagine taking that abuse, regardless of her love for the man and her obsession with the murder. I haven’t seen any reviews (yet) that even mention these events.

        Posted 4.26.19 Reply
  11. “Odd” doesn’t begin to describe this book. Honestly, I just didn’t get it. I kept reading it because I thought I was missing something. I didn’t understand the characters’ motivations at all. To me, this was a case of “the emperor has no clothes” but maybe I missed something.

    Posted 1.6.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Haha – EXACTLY! I’ve discussed this with another blogger who felt the same way I did and that’s what we kept asking ourselves…what are we missing?

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
  12. Naomi wrote:

    Ah! The ‘head-in-the-clouds’ writing is what I’m experiencing right now with the book I’m reading. I was describing it (to myself) as ‘flowery’ – too many similes? Otherwise, though, I’m really liking it. The writing style is probably a matter of taste. I suspect some readers really like it, while others not as much.

    Posted 1.6.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I’m not a fan of flowery writing either…I prefer simple and writing that says “yes, that’s exactly how it is.” But I agree it’s probably a matter of taste.

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
  13. Tara wrote:

    Oh, my gosh, your description of this sounds very similar to my experience of Swimming Lessons; dare I subject myself to more? 🙂 I think I have to, like watching a train wreck, just to see how it goes.

    Posted 1.8.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I mean, I don’t want to tell you not to read it since some others have felt really differently than I did 🙂

      And – I’m just so sad to hear this about Swimming Lessons. I’m going to try it anyway since I loved Endless, but will lower expectations.

      Posted 1.9.17 Reply
  14. Shannon wrote:

    I’m so glad I checked out this book from the library instead of buying it. It felt completely pointless. I kept expecting some big revelation as to why the mom murdered the daughter. It made absolutely no sense. The only thing implied that I understood was that Ann thought May was humming her song and It enraged Jenny enough to kill her child? Very frustrating and boring. Complete waste of time.

    Posted 3.11.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I agree! And I remember the thing about humming the song, but wasn’t that Ann’s imagining of what happened? Not what actually happened? And even so, I just don’t buy a song triggering suspicions of your husband’s affair as a reason that might drive a mother to kill her daughter.

      Posted 3.14.17 Reply
  15. Astrid wrote:

    This book is horrible! I didn’t like anything about it! It was extremely confusing and open ended. I didn’t even read the final 40 pages. One of the worst books I have read in a while!

    Posted 4.12.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      So I guess you didn’t like it? Haha. I did like some things about it (the writing was gorgeous at times…but not all times!), but found it to be kind of a mess overall and I’m definitely confused as to why it got so much hype. I think it’s one of those books that literary snobs like to crow about because saying they understood and appreciated its “ambiguity” makes them feel smart.

      Posted 4.15.17 Reply
  16. Deanne Betten wrote:

    Have just finished reading Idaho and am also frustrated with this what I thought sounded a most promising and intriguing read. From the blurbs on the back cover I couldn’t wait to read it. I agree with others that the prose is at times hauntingly beautiful but at other times takes over and is distracting and I felt the urge to skim read passages as well. It felt like as a reader you invested so much into the characters but with totally no resolution to the mystery or the resolution which was hinted at didn’t ring true at all. That of a raging jealousy provoked by May’s singing as the only possible scenario just didn’t make sense. Frustration and letdown is my overriding reaction to this novel. Great to read this forum and other readers’ responses.

    Posted 4.30.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Well said…I’m right there with you. Especially about the rationale of the raging jealousy…it just didn’t make sense and there was such an easy way to work better rationale into the story..and the author didn’t take it.

      Glad you found some kindred spirits over here 🙂

      Posted 5.3.17 Reply
  17. Linda Kress wrote:

    I didn’t understand the book, either. I was sure there would be an explanation as to why Jenny killed May, and that never came. I too skimmed large sections of the book, notably the sections concerning Elliot. It seemed part of a different story. My overall feeling when I finished was a feeling of let down, like there was only coal in all those gorgeously wrapped, enticing presents.

    Posted 5.12.17 Reply
  18. David wrote:

    I agree with many of the points you made Sarah, but the writing was beautiful. Few cliches and some amazing bits. Definitely many strands and some odd parts, but this is what I expect from a first novel from a writer with a lot of talent. I enjoyed it because it was a bit different and untidy.

    Posted 11.29.17 Reply
    • David wrote:

      Also I wasn’t convinced by the portrayal of Dementia. I think it might not always be so easy to love as Anne seemed to, for most of the book.

      Posted 11.29.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I definitely agree about the writing. I’d read her again as she becomes more seasoned and a tighter storyteller.

      Posted 11.30.17 Reply
  19. Eleni wrote:

    Am I the only one that suspected June of the murder if her sister? It seemed to explain why the author gave the details of June’s obsessive ans possibly violent acts relating to love. She crippled the boy from school after all. The only part I never understood was the home store Ann visited after being attacked and seeing a boy craving things. I knkw that had to connect or allude to simething, but to what?

    Posted 3.22.18 Reply
  20. Yvonne wrote:

    I also suspected that something was being unsaid about June, however I felt the guilt Jenny felt in prison and Wade not visiting etc meant this didn’t fully make sense, I am left confused also by Jenny’s motives and by June’s whereabouts. There was a few loose ends that I wondered about including the boy in the trailer. I came onto reviews to see if anyone had more insight. Jenny seems very gentle I wondered how she snapped so violently. Wade on the other hand seemed to have a violent streak. I loved the book towards the end but then was left very confused.

    Posted 12.27.19 Reply

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