Product Description

“Ruby, where is your mother?”

Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she’s been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.

That’s how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn’t seen in ten years, and Cora’s husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future—it’s a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #222613 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 432 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780670010882
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up—Ruby, 17, is taken in by her older sister and brother-in-law when her mother abandons her. Ruby and her sister haven't spoken since Cora left for college a decade earlier. She moves from a semi-heated, semi-lighted farmhouse to a McMansion in a gated community. The theme of abandonment permeates the narrative-Ruby's mother's disappearance, Cora's perceived abandonment, and all of the small abandonments around every corner throughout Ruby's life. The plot hinges luxuriously on character arc. Ruby's drama of pathological self-reliance to eventual trust plays out through thoughtful, though occasionally heavy-handed, inner monologue and metaphor. As always, Dessen's characters live and breathe. Ruby's sweet hipster brother-in-law and Nate, the freakishly affable hottie next door, are especially vivid, and Cora's change from bitter control freak to sympathetic co-protagonist is subtle and seamless. Though Ruby and Nate don't have quite the cinematic chemistry of many of Dessen's couples, their cautious friendship into romance seems that much more realistic. The author's feel for setting is as uncanny as ever, and Ruby's descriptions of the homogenous nouveau riche Anytown are sharp, clever, and honest. The dialogue, especially between Ruby and Cora, is crisp, layered, and natural. The slow unfolding adds to an anticipatory mood. What's more, secrets and situations revealed in the second half of the novel are resolved more believably by already deeply developed characters. Recommend this one to patient, sophisticated readers.—Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Ruby hasn’t had much success with family. Her father left; her protective older sister, Cora, left; and her boozing mother finally leaves, too. Ruby is alone until Cora learns of her situation and swoops in. Suddenly, Ruby finds herself living with Cora and her wealthy brother-in-law, attending  private school, and wondering just where she fits in. As in previous books, Dessen takes on a central theme—here the meaning of family—and spins many plots and subplots around it. Most prominent yet least successful is the thread about Cora’s  relationship with boy-next-door Nate, who rescues her when she needs it, but has difficulty accepting Ruby’s help, tentative at first, when she discovers he’s being physically abused. Nate seems too good to be true (as does Cora’s husband), while his father is a caricature. And one of the most important elements, the issue of the girls’ mother lying to them, gets lost. Despite the uneven narrative, Dessen’s  writing can be beautiful, and her story is involving. Grades 8-12. --Ilene Cooper

Review
As always, Dessen's characters live and breathe... sharp, clever, and honest -- School Library Journal

Dessen's tone...is invitingly non-threatening and will reward patient readers. -- Kirkus Reviews

The intricacy of relationships that is Dessen's signature shines here...[the] characters are pure pleasure to spend time with. -- Horn Book

Customer Reviews

Lost and Found
Ask twenty people to define "family," and you'll get twenty different definitions. Ruby's definition of family is about to change, and she's not quite sure what that means.

For years, Ruby and her mother moved from apartment to apartment. They lived in random places and cramped spaces above other people's garages. Finally, they find a little yellow house to rent. Ruby's mother, preferring to drown her sorrows in alcohol than deal with them head-on, made her daughter give her excuses to visitors, landlords, and bosses.

The older Ruby got, the more her mother depended on her - and on substances. Ruby became used to her mom disappearing for a few days now and then. When a week turned into two, then three, then a month, Ruby knew her mom wasn't coming back. She went to work and school and lived alone for months before her landlords realized what was going on.

With Ruby seven months away from her eighteenth birthday, child services stepped in. She is sent to live with her older sister, who hasn't seen her in ten years. Cora left for college and, according to their mother, never looked back. Now Cora has a successful career, a husband who is equally successful, and a gorgeous home, with a spunky little dog to boot. How can Ruby fit into this household, let alone into a new school that's posh and private? She's so sure that this could never be her home, her life, that she prepares to run away that very first night and go back to the little yellow house. Fate has other plans for her, and so does Nate, the boy next door.

Though Ruby consents to stay put for the time being, she keeps the key to the little yellow house on a chain around her neck. At first, the key is the only thing she permits to fall close to her heart, interpreting her sister's clipped responses as lack of interest. She is unsure how to take her perpetually upbeat brother-in-law, Jamie. How can this complete stranger welcome her with open arms?

Nate also reaches out to her. Whether she likes the attention or not, he means well. He's genuine, and she's not used to that. Carpooling with him to and from school gives her insight into this grinning, popular boy. There's more there than meets the eye. Though he's friendly, not flirtatious, she's hesitant to open up to him. She'd rather keep her heart under lock and key than risk getting hurt again.

Ruby is a strong girl, but she's not a saint. She has done plenty of things she's not proud of, and she has a stubborn streak a mile wide. She is determined to do things on her own and her refuses to let others assist her because she doesn't want to "owe" them anything.

Ruby's constantly tempted to leave, to make things easier for everyone, herself included. The easy way out is never as easy as it seems. It just leads her back to bad things, bad people. The road back to her sister's house is promising, but there are bumps along the way. Ruby's new school is far ahead of her previous school, and she struggles to keep up her grades. She has to write a report about "family" for class, and she doesn't know where to begin. Jamie tries to be helpful while Cora remains distant. Nate keeps reaching out, and Ruby repeatedly deflects his concern until she realizes that he may need some help too.

There are plenty of supporting characters in Ruby's new world. Roscoe, the dog, provides comic relief as well as unconditional love right from the start. Gervais, a kid who skipped multiple grades in school, rides in her carpool with Nate. There's Harriet, the high-strung jewelry designer with a mall kiosk who gets inspiration from an unexpected place, and Olivia, her talkative classmate who isn't afraid to tell it like it is. Nate's father seems pleasant and polished, but a scratch on that surface lets his true colors shine through. Ruby's old friends factor in as well, clashing loudly with her new life.

With Lock and Key, Sarah Dessen has created something extremely poignant - which is not to say that she hasn't before. All of Dessen's novels are extremely readable and enjoyable, and each is distinctive. The narrative of Lock and Key, which is told in first person from Ruby's point of view, infuses past events with the present day. Things that occurred a year ago, three months ago, or even earlier the same day are revealed when they relate to happenings in the current time frame. This storytelling method fits the feel of the story, allowing it to move forward as Ruby lives day by day but still clings to her past.

Ruby doesn't think of herself as lost, but she is - and she deserves to be found. Pick up Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen and give it a home on your bookshelf.

"And the rest is history," I said.

"Nah." He shook his head. "The rest is now."

I love Dessen's work- just not this one.
To be totally honest- I wasn't very impressed by this book at all.
Which is sucky because I love S.D. and all her other books.
However, Lock and Key didn't do anything for me. It felt distant and disconnected.

The reasons:
Ruby was boring and bland. I personally (which is my right) found her to be one dimensional which was not my expectation at all considering S.D.'s past characters who I loved. She had little humor and just didn't have the Dessen magic I expected. Though I'm sure a lot of people can relate to Ruby. She wasn't that complex as some reviews are raving in my opinion. I thought she was stubborn and immature and the fall back of having a mom that was abusive and ducked out on her was a weak excuse for her behavior. If you want to read a book about an interesting victim of abuse, I wouldn't necessarily suggest this book because Ruby was too transparent.

The Lock&Key motif was too redundant. It's just not a strong enough theme in my opinion to have been played on so much.

The story moved too quickly and predictably. Not to say there is anything wrong with predictability, but in this case the actual story was not interesting enough for me to want to hang on and see the ending through. (I did though.) The friendships between Ruby and the other Jackson student didn't seem genuine or really as friendly as the story tried to say it was.

Jamie was annoyingly perfect to me. I mean there's nothing wrong with a family man, and I think some of the things he did for Ruby and Cora were really sweet and unique. It's just it felt corny, and forced. Perhaps it was because it was through Ruby's eyes but I felt Cora and Jamie's relationship could have been touched on more deeply and genuinely instead of the distant way Ruby showed it.

Nate was really interesting though, I really enjoyed him.
Cora was pretty cool too, though I didn't really like the end of the book.

Redeeming qualities:
Though I personally wanted more of this, I'm glad Dessen introduced other people who could be considered villains in this novel. It showed that even if you put space between you and your own demons doesn't mean that the bad in the world is gone.

Had some really sweet moments- I thought the pool hopping bit was hysterical. Gervais (sp) was really interesting too.

Anyways, I'm still a fan of Dessen but I personally feel this wasn't her best. Hopefully everyone will understand this is my opinion and not bash me for it.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
It's been a quite a long time that I found myself sitting up until three in the morning, wanting desperately to finish a story. But that is exactly where I found myself the other night with LOCK AND KEY in my hands. I was so engrossed in Ruby and her story that I had to find out how it ended.

Ruby Cooper has always looked out for Number One. When Ruby was eight, her sister Cora left for university and never looked back. It was always Ruby and her mother, moving from one place to another. Her mother's excuse was to avoid creditors and landlords. Ruby slowly comes to find out that this is the version her mother wanted her to hear.

Early on in her senior year of high school, Ruby's mom does a runner. Leaving Ruby all alone in the rented yellow house, Ruby does what she can to survive. She will be eighteen in less than a year, and if she can hide the fact that she's alone until then, the authorities won't be able to touch her. But when the dryer fails at her rented house and the landlords notice a clothes line strung throughout the kitchen, Ruby's life is forever changed.

Custody of Ruby is given over to her older sister, Cora. Cora and her husband, Jamie, live in a wealthy community and live a life totally foreign to everything Ruby has ever known. Not trusting Cora and Jamie's intentions, Ruby plots an escape her first night in her new home. Making a break over the fence in the back yard, her escape is foiled by one rambunctious dog, Roscoe. Roscoe's barking brings a curious "Hello?" from the other side of the fence. Here she meets her next door neighbor, Nate. Nate's outlook on life is upbeat and infectious. But Ruby does everything she can to keep him at bay, as well.

Slowly, Ruby learns to adjust the new life she has been given, and develop friendships in the most unlikely places. Ruby has always kept on the fringes and avoided being indebted to anyone. But as she grows and evolves, she realizes that maybe others need her just as much as she needs them. With a class assignment to define "Family," Ruby understands that the word has many meanings, and most of them don't necessarily mean blood relations.

Sarah Dessen writes another amazing novel for young adults. LOCK AND KEY is wonderful, heartfelt story. All of the characters draw you in and make you feel like you are part of their lives. Jamie's naiveté is endearing. Cora's infertility struggles hit you in the heart. Olivia's tough girl exterior has cracks you get to see through. Harriett is just as harried as her name implies. And the perfect-seeming Nate has secrets all his own.

My only regret with this book is that I failed to move it to the top of my To Be Read pile as soon as it arrived for review. So if you have this one sitting around at home, make it the next one you read. And if you've picked it up at the book store, considering purchasing it, definitely do so the next time you are there. You won't regret it!

Reviewed by: Jaglvr