Frank is another dreamer whose life is suddenly burned to the ground. More a

disillusioned literature Ph.D. than an experienced financier, he had naively agreed to join

his wife’s inheritance with his own personal guarantee of a college friend’s private equity

partnership debt.

The business implosion and subsequent bankruptcy took all their assets. Francy, an

orphaned European heiress, now finds herself homeless, still married to pleasant, witty

Frank—who had failed to protect them from disaster.

The couple flees Manhattan to live at a desolate non-working Hudson Valley farm. Frank

starts an artisanal brewery with a charismatic new eccentric friend. And, central to the

heart of the story, he takes up fly fishing. A local doctor, perceiving Frank’s depression,

prescribes that he gain some confidence through self-taught fishing. The story weaves

together fly fishing and life experiences that ultimately turn shockingly deadly.

And throughout, there is Francy’s story. Now in exile, she re-approaches painting with a

new and darkly complex emotional energy. Painting in reclusive concentration, she cuts

Frank off, becoming her own woman. Her work’s enigmatic intensity attracts a wealthy

neighbor who offers a show in his Manhattan gallery -- that attracts a great deal of

trouble indeed.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Booktrix

Ruin

Ruin Book Club Questions PDF