Life, Loss, and Puffins

A Novel

By: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Narrated by: Jess Nahikian

An exhilarating and emotional novel about grief, hope, friendship, and taking life one beautiful and spontaneous day at a time by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Freakishly smart. That’s the unwelcome box Ru Evans is put into for life. After all, she taught herself Euclidean geometry at age seven, has an eidetic memory, and is about to enter college at thirteen years old.

Boarding at a house near campus 150 miles from home, Ru meets seventeen-year-old Gabriel, an outsider himself who, like Ru, has trouble making friends—until they form a fast sibling-like bond. Finding a relatable someone in the world to talk to is a first for both of them.

But when Ru’s mother dies and the threat of living with her miserable aunt looms, Ru hatches an escape. It’s an impulsive road trip that takes Ru and Gabriel from California to Canada, where Ru can fulfill her ultimate dream: to see Atlantic puffins in the glorious wild.

Mile by mile, Ru discovers the joy of friendship, found family, dark night skies, and the aurora borealis, and she basks in going from being a smart person to just a person. Though she knows they’ll be in trouble when they’re caught, for the short time they are navigating twist by twist of an unknown road, the freedom is liberating, and she is living for what feels like the first time.

©2024 by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Trustee, or Successor Trustee, of the Catherine Ryan Hyde Revocable Trust created under that certain declaration dated September 27, 1999 (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Hyde writes a deeply compelling novel about teenagers finding their way in the world, even if their paths look a bit different than usual. Fans of Ethan Joella's A Quiet Life, Mary Alice Monroe's The Summer Guests, and Hazel Prior's Ellie and the Harpmaker will appreciate Hyde's deft handling of Ru's complex gift and the novel's heartwarming, character-driven charm.” —Booklist

“While there are adult characters in this book, it's the children who state the universal truths that Hyde wants to share with readers. And they do it beautifully and compellingly.” —Bookreporter

A lovely inspirational story and the reader was excellent!

A coming-of-age story that was totally engaging. Great character development with endearing qualities.

Great Story

Made me think about what we have. Life is a blessing. Ru reminds me of my son.

wonderful story of love, loss, and finding yourself

I started the audiobook and found the narrator a bit off putting with the way that she read the main character Ru. The story was slow to develop but gradually pulled me in until I could not stop reading it. I switched to the Kindle edition and finished it within a few hours. I really loved Ru and Gabriel's relationship, and how their friendship developed so deeply over a short period of time. And I loved the little twist at the end.

Surprisingly uplifting.

Ru is so intelligent and still so innocent. She has an open mind and an open heart. I love that the relationship with Gabriel is based on true friendship, trust and mutual respect.

As always a lovely imaginative story

Story kept my interest, characters interesting, never a dull moment with a few twist & turns, a great story. I love the fact that characters don’t fit in a box!