Caribbean & Diaspora Storytelling
Christian Ruff
Author of Tolipothy: The Root Awakens
Christian Ruff is a carpenter in Las Vegas, where he specializes in remodeling bathrooms. Tolipothy: The Root Awakens is his debut novel.
It began as a way to coax his wife back to her art—he figured that if he could write a good enough story, it might inspire her to paint more often. As he wrote, it grew into a wild, living world where he and his siblings stand together against everything. The novel’s five Limbs are drawn from Christian and his brothers and sisters.
Tolipothy: The Root Awakens
In the deepest hollow of the Amazon, something wakes beneath the soil. It has no name for itself yet—only hunger, preference, and the slow dawning that it is separate from the earth that made it. It is a fungus. It is beginning to think. And when the ants come to devour it, its own pain tears loose the first of five limb-children, who rise from the mud and walk.
Written by Christian Ruff with Nikki Woods. Read more about Tolipothy, browse Literary Fiction, or meet the complete Maroon House Press author roster.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Christian Ruff?
Christian Ruff is a carpenter in Las Vegas, where he specializes in remodeling bathrooms. Tolipothy: The Root Awakens is his debut novel.
What is Christian Ruff’s first book?
Tolipothy: The Root Awakens, written with Nikki Woods. In the deepest hollow of the Amazon, a fungus wakes beneath the soil and begins to think.
Why did Christian Ruff write Tolipothy?
It began as a way to coax his wife back to her art. He figured that if he could write a good enough story, it might inspire her to paint more often.
Who are the five Limbs based on?
The novel’s five Limbs are drawn from Christian and his brothers and sisters.
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