The Ring. Florence Osmund, Self-published, 2021, Paperback and E-Book, 323 pages.
Review by Kelly Fumiko Weiss.
The Ring is a novel written by Florence Osmund. It explores the very complicated relationships of Paige and Jessivel, two strangers who seemingly have nothing in common. The story unfolds as the perspective jumps back and forth between Paige, a very well-off, caring, hardworking person, and Jessivel, a poor, struggling, stubborn person. You wonder how their worlds will ever come together, and the answer is partly through circumstance and partly through sheer determination (mostly on Paige’s part). Through these events, these two women’s lives become intricately and forever tangled.
While the drama of what is happening in their lives propels the story forward, it is Paige’s strength and influence that grounds the story, and it is Jessivel’s personal growth that fulfills it. It is truly rewarding to see these two navigate situations that are completely foreign, life-changing, and altogether difficult for them, and knowing that they ultimately become the better for it. However, I had to ask myself things like, how much more can Paige possibly handle? Is she even human? How does she keep going? Interesting to note, Jessivel has it much worse off. But because Paige is the anchor for so many people—her mother, her other family members, her staff—it seems the weight is on her.
At the end of the book, Kayla, Jessivel’s daughter, asks a question that sums up what this book is about. She asks, “When did you become an adult, Mom?” It’s a great question for a child to ask, but I think it’s also one that adults ask themselves all the time. When does that happen? When does it sink in that you are in charge? And when do you learn that to succeed in life you need other people? In many ways, that’s the journey that most of the characters in this book are on, and thankfully those journeys come to very satisfying conclusions.
Without giving away all the family details of this book, I sense that The Ring is also about all the different ways we can relate to each other. What do those relationships mean? How do they shape us? How do our personal narratives define who we are and how we act? And how do we come to terms with putting those thoughts up to a mirror for who we want to be?
I enjoyed reading The Ring. It was fast-paced, complicated, filled with characters who all had very different vibes and hurdles to overcome. I loved the way the storylines intertwined, and I felt emotionally invested in their journeys. I wouldn’t mind if Osmund wrote another story about this family. Many more characters were referenced than we have yet to meet. I’d love to see how they all fold into the world Paige and Jessivel created for each other.