Word: ruth
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...character of Ruth was loosely inspired by Phillips' grandmother. "White rabbit" or "rabbit rabbit" is a game that Phillips used to play with her grandmother and the rest of her family: on the first day of each month, the first person to say "white rabbit" would have good luck for the rest of the month...
Phillips expressed surprise that readers have focus so much on Ruth's age as the subject of the novel. She explains that, to her, Ruth's frustration, loneliness and humanity were much more important than Ruth...
...clearly very fond of her characters. Phillips' love for Ruth and her dopey but sweet husband Henry comes through in the book, and gives the reader a special insight and affection for the characters. Phillips also points out that her fondness for her characters helped her return to and rework the manuscript in the years between its first draft and its publication. Even now, it is clear that Phillips takes an active interest in how people respond to her characters and interpret their actions...
Phillips sees White Rabbit as part of the tradition of Californian dystopian novels. When she began writing, her vision of California was relatively bleak. She wanted to emphasize the isolation and loneliness that often comes with living in a condominium community like Ruth's "Paradise Lagoon." She was also concerned with the rapid growth and development that was choking the state. Now, after a few Boston winters, Phillips says her vision of California is more positive...
White Rabbit is a well-written and exciting book. The characters are lovingly sculpted and emerge from the book vividly and convincingly. In many ways, Ruth's life is remarkably ordinary, but Phillips tells her story so well, and with so much sincerity and fondness, that White Rabbit becomes an absorbing read...