Author: Kirk Ward Robinson

Publisher: Highland Home

ISBN: 979-8-9886815-1-9

In Kirk Ward Robinson's recent novel, Ridley Speaks, we're introduced to Ridley, a fierce and determined young woman who recounts how her life started: "She was born in the wilderness, under a tree during a howling storm." 

At least, that's the story her Aunt Joss always told her.

Ridley lived near the Appalachian Trail for the first 18 years of her life, under the watch of her enigmatic mother, Blaize. 

Tough, fiercely private and emotionally distant, Blaize would sometimes vanish for a day or two, leaving Aunt Joss to raise Ridley and her siblings. 

As we discover, Blaize never actually voiced love, however,  her instruction in survival and resilience nevertheless left a deep mark on Ridley.

After graduating high school, Ridley chooses to leave home and head for California. 

With nothing but a purple day pack holding her change of clothes, some snacks, a bottle of water, the money she managed to save, her phone and her beloved guitar, she sets off to make a new life.

Her first destination is Nashville, where her plan is to transfer to a route heading for Memphis on her way to California.

Much of her story takes place in Nashville, the first city Ridley ever visited in her life. But the city is cruel and unforgiving.

Not long after landing in Nashville, her money, ID and  phone are stolen. Unfortunately, she now finds herself without any means of continuing her trip to California.

Ridley is forced to live a life of homelessness. Nonetheless, she is able to muster a few dollars doing odd jobs as well as busking with her guitar, and singing her own poems she sets to music.

Along the way she befriends an older, kind man, Mose, who encourages her to sing her songs publicly along with him, which emboldens her to continue chasing her dreams.

Ridley experiences the underbelly of the music world, in which naïve young women are drugged and manipulated into performing sexual acts under the guise of auditions. 

Sadly, some of the women she connects with become victims of this exploitation, with catastrophic consequences, and one even dies of a deadly overdose.

Ridley likewise suffers something unspeakable at the hands of these predators, an ordeal that leaves her profoundly traumatized. 

This harrowing chapter of her journey poignantly illustrates the threat that lurks in the shadows, leaving her with deep and lasting scars.

It should be noted that Ridley's encounters with exploitation mirror genuine problems in the music industry, wherein vulnerable women are periodically coerced and abused by any number of powerful figures. 

This grim state of affairs — often coinciding with abuse, addiction and exploitation — is part of what movements such as #MeToo have called attention to, emphasizing the urgent need for structural change to protect the artists of tomorrow.

In a bit of humor that lightens the tale, Ridley takes a job at a funeral parlor, where, among other duties, she gives a hand in embalming bodies. 

While they do serve occasional comedic purpose, such moments can veer into ultraviolent territory, starkly juxtaposed within the narrative with lighter moments. 

One caveat, these scenes are quite graphic and may not appeal to every reader.  And it is here in this improbable place, where Ridley encounters a young man who falls for her, adding a bit of comic relief and an unexpected turn to her otherwise fraught journey.

Robinson throughout the novel skillfully flashes back to Ridley's upbringing with her Ma, aunt and siblings to shape her psyche and provide the groundwork for the fortitude she would require when venturing out on her own at 18.

We see how her dysfunctional family life was a challenge, but remembering her family interspersed throughout the narrative, it was what the layman would call lessons of life, giving her strength and perspective in what she was going through.

It's one of the lessons she learns: No matter what it is that you're trying to do, it always seems there's someone in your way. And the world, alas, has so much ugliness in it.

Kirk Ward Robinson serves up an inspiring story of endurance, autonomy, and self-awareness in Ridley Speaks. 

Using his gift for storytelling to paint a rich picture, he tracks Ridley's meteoric rise from a tough upbringing to her struggle to find her way in a cruel and uncertain universe. 

From the grim realities of the music industry to moments of levity and serendipity, Ridley's tale is raw and inspiring. 

This beautifully written book is a need for anyone who loves an undeterred leading lady, along with the dream of the potential in us, and we can rise above anything.

Follow Here To Read Norm's Interview With Kirk Ward Robinson.