Reading Response for "Imaginary Girls"

       The book "Imaginary Girls" by Nova Ren Suma is about a girl named Ruby and her sister Chloe. After their mother left them Chloe moved with their dad while Ruby and her boyfriend basically built a house. Throughout the book it shows how Ruby's connected to the town they live in and just how powerful a sisters love is.

     
        Several times throughout the book it shows how Ruby's connected to not only the town she and Chloe live in but also an underwater town called Olive. Olive used to be a town a lot of people lived in. One day the people in charge of the town were told that Olive was going to be flooded. The people of Olive were very persistent and would not leave the town. According to Ruby they still live underwater in Olive. A way it's shown clearly to me that Ruby has a connection with the town, was how she knew all this stuff about it. Nobody knew anything about this underwater town but she did. She also says once that the people in Olive wait for new people to come. It's weird how she knows things that they say. I think part of the reason she knows so much about Olive is because she has a connection to the town she lives in (which is the land around the ocean Olive is in.) One reason why I believe that is because, Ruby makes people act however she wants them to. For example, one boy who is her "boyfriend" she makes build an entire house for her. She then states that it's okay because he lives there too. Although she tells him what he can do with the house and in the house. Another way this is shown is because Ruby was the only one who knew anything about Olive. Also when a girl seemingly drowned in the ocean above Olive, Ruby saved her. After saving her she seemed to control her. This shows how Ruby has a connection to Olive and her town.


      
      Another theme shown throughout the book was how much Ruby loved her sister Chloe. She shows this by telling Chloe things about the town that no one else knew and she wouldn't tell anyone else. Another way it was shown was even though Chloe was forced to live with their father at first Ruby knew she didn't want to live with him so she made sure she got her to live with her. The last and most important way it was shown was when Olive wanted to take Chloe, Ruby dressed up as Chloe to make sure they wouldn't take Chloe. So basically Ruby sacrificed herself for her sister. That shows just how much she really does love her sister.



     In conclusion, Ruby was a rather difficult character to understand throughout the book. But the whole time one thing that was very clear was that she really did love her sister. She would do anything for her, even die.