Ripe: A Novel

Written by Sarah Rose Etter

Narrated by Laurel Lefkow

NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Named a Best Book of 2023 by Time, Huffington Post, Kirkus, and more * A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * A Roxane Gay Audacious Book Club Selection * A Marie Claire Book Club Pick

A surreal novel with “a dark, delicious edge” (Time) about a woman in Silicon Valley who must decide how much she’s willing to give up for success—from an award-winning writer whose work Roxane Gay calls “utterly unique and remarkable.”

A year into her dream job at a cutthroat Silicon Valley start-up, Cassie finds herself trapped in a corporate nightmare. Between the long hours, toxic bosses, and unethical projects, she also struggles to reconcile the glittering promise of a city where obscene wealth lives alongside abject poverty and suffering. Ivy League grads complain about the snack selection from a conference room with a view of unhoused people bathing in the bay. Start-up burnouts leap into the paths of commuter trains, and men literally set themselves on fire in the streets.

Though isolated, Cassie is never alone. From her earliest memory, a miniature black hole has been her constant companion. It feeds on her depression and anxiety, growing or shrinking in relation to her distress. The black hole watches, but it also waits. Its relentless pull draws Cassie ever closer as the world around her unravels.

When she ends up unexpectedly pregnant at the same time her CEO’s demands cross into illegal territory, Cassie must decide whether the tempting fruits of Silicon Valley are really worth it. Sharp but vulnerable, unsettling yet darkly comic, Ripe portrays one millennial woman’s journey through our late-capitalist hellscape and offers a brilliantly incisive look at the absurdities of modern life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jul 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797161075

Sarah Rose Etter

Sarah Rose Etter is the author of the chapbook Tongue Party and The Book of X, winner of a Shirley Jackson Award for best novel. Her work has appeared in Time, Guernica, BOMB, the Bennington Review, The Cut, VICE, and elsewhere. She has been awarded residences at the Jack Kerouac House, the Disquiet International program in Portugal, and the Gullkistan in Iceland. She earned her BA in English from Pennsylvania State University and her MFA in fiction from Rosemont College. She lives in Los Angeles. For more info, visit SarahRoseEtter.com.

Reviews for Ripe

[Denise Killingsworth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very sad, depressing book. Because I live near San Francisco I thought I would enjoy the location. Unfortunately the theme of the book was not one I could enjoy. I read for escape not to bring myself down.

[Marina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Claustrofóbico
Pensando em largar todo o plano de carreira corporativa que fiz, trancar a faculdade e ir viver reclusa.

Nota: sou tão obcecada por romãs quanto a protagonista, por isso peguei esse livro. Ta disponível no Scribd. Fiquei fixada nessa capa por semanas enquanto atravessava o oceano que era a minha pilha de leituras desde então.

[Surbhi KitKat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Singular

Piercingly real. Beautiful. Raw. Edgy. Smart. Brave. Cutting. Terrifying

[Rebecca Söderlund · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I finished this book in two days. I loved it. The writing is beautiful. The characters, although not very likeable, feel real and believable. I wanted to get to know all of them. It's not the most uplifting story, to put it mildly, but it was like going on an adventure into a different realm. Would definitely recommend if you're into books that are more feeling-driven, if that makes sense.

[Krystal Maroney · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I kept waiting for some thing to happen, and it just never happened. This story is seems more like a memoir of true life than fiction. It does capture how unhappy a generation is and that was relatable but nothing new.

[Jane McNamara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Perfect narration. The book took my breath away. Cassie is relatable, sympathetic, and heartbreaking. I recommend highly.

[Genevieve Methot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow this book was so devastating and relatable in the most uncomfortable way.

[Nick Braker · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found nothing enjoyable, profound or redeemable about this novel. There were no likable characters-few as they were, no in-depth plot- thin as it was, and nothing to take away with you as it ended. The best part was the narrator.

[Jili Nicomedes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this is too sad and a suffocating read. there’s nothing immaculate about the writing style but the subjects touched and the way the character is written is so poignant that the entire narrative feels like a diary or a lens that shows us the grim realities of being a cog in a machine, with no choice but to function and to be okay.

[Jamila Sids · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Found it very hard to not quit my job after this book. Simple story but a massive message. Delves into the corporate cults, extreme sides of capitalism and how both the haves and have nots are unhappy and bitter. Relatable characters and the bosses will make you seethe.

[Ben Clevenger · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I’ve listened to hundreds if not thousands of audio books. This might be the most “unlistenable book” I’ve ever tried. It seems the author just learned the meaning of exempli gratia (“e.g.”) and was super excited to use it several HUNDRED times in her writing. “E.g.” is read so many times that I couldn’t move on after just a few chapters. I think the author has hope. But please find a larger vocabulary then “for example”… “for example”… “for example”…. “E.g.”…. “E.g.”… “e.g.”… it’s unlistenable… don’t waste your time on this one till the author expands their vocabulary… it’s just painful…