The debut novel from Australian contemporary fiction writer Jessica Rudd, Campaign Ruby (Text Publishing, 2010) is light-hearted look at life on the Australian political campaign trail. Funny and entertaining, Campaign Ruby offers readers a light-hearted peek behind the scenes at the frantic activity involved in promoting and shaping the image of an Australian Prime Ministerial candidate.
Plot Summary – Campaign Ruby
When Ruby Stanhope receives an impersonal email informing her that her job has been made redundant she is furious. She responds by writing a To Do list, accepting her redundancy package offer with a snarky email (which goes viral), collecting her possessions (including a recently delivered pair of Louboutin shoes) and taking herself home to wallow in self-pity.
Unfortunately, Ruby’s self-pity coincides with the delivery of a case of wine from Australia. After several bottles and a bout of late-night internet browsing, Ruby wakes to discover that she is extremely hung-over and, apparently, booked on a non-refundable flight to Australia leaving the next day.
Unable to cancel the ticket, Ruby decides to make the best of a bad situation and use the opportunity to visit her Aunt in Australia. Soon after her arrival she finds herself taken on board as an advisor to the Leader of the Opposition in a Federal Election Campaign and this leads to a whirlwind tour around the country, constantly one step ahead of her luggage, stumbling from one misunderstanding to the next. What follows is a comedy of errors as Ruby tries to adjust to the Australian climate and culture.
Ruby Stanhope is quirky, intelligent and witty and her misadventures make for an entertaining story in an Australian setting that ranges from the vineyards of Victoria to the sweltering outback of the Northern Territory and the hallways of political power in Canberra.
An Entertaining Look at Australian Politics
Campaign Ruby offers readers a caricature of Australian politics, political personas and the media machine that promotes and manipulates the reporting of political issues. While many of Ruby’s experiences are pure comedy (such as her dramatic entrance into a press conference wearing a promotional beer vest and flip-flops/thongs), there are some insightful moments as she observes the hard work and gruelling timetable endured by the politicians and their staff.
The Australian imagery looms large in Campaign Ruby, with the usual language confusions between Ruby’s UK English and the various Australian colloquial phrases she encounters. Many stereotypical Australian icons are mentioned, but readers familiar with the Australia will also find many less obvious references that contribute to the very Australian tone and setting of the novel.
Australian Author Jessica Rudd
Jessica Rudd has a background in law, PR and politics. She is the daughter of a previous Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and is currently based in Beijing, China.
Campaign Ruby was shortlisted ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year, 2011 and ABIA Newcomer of the Year, 2011. It was also included in the 50 Books you Can't Put Down promotion in 2010. A sequel, Ruby Blues (Text Publishing, 2011), is due for release in late October 2011.
Contemporary Fiction in an Australian Setting
Campaign Ruby offers readers an entertaining and enjoyable read with a strongly influential Australian setting. The story is witty, at times a little silly, and very enjoyable. While some readers will no doubt wonder whether the book is more fact than fiction based on Rudd’s own political connections, the story is styled as light-hearted and can be enjoyed as such without any need to find connections with real-life people or events.
Quirky and entertaining, Campaign Ruby’s Ruby Stanhope is an entertaining heroine and readers will no doubt enjoy following her further adventures in Ruby Blues.
Review copy details:
Campaign Ruby by Jessica Rudd (ISBN: 978-1-92165-6-576, 324 pages)
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