The Ruins of California

I found this book on the sale rack in the library with the word "discard" written across the title page in black sharpie.

The Ruins are an unconventional family in California in the 1970's. This would seem to be a rich and rewarding source of material, but it wasn't really very interesting. The many characters in the story - including the main one, teenaged Inez - are sketchily drawn, and there is really no plot to speak of. I think a book should have a plot, call me old fashioned. It had some interesting elements here and there, enough to finish it, but it would have been no great loss if I had heeded the handwritten message on the title page.

Inez Ruin grew up in drugs/sex/rock 'n roll '70s California, shuttling between her divorced and very different parents and family members. I could not relate to the decadence, and did not really like these people.

April 2008: http://www.3rsblog.com/2008/04/book-talk-ruins-of-california.html