Laurie Hertzel, The Minnesota Star Tribune

In structure, tone and theme, “Ruth” owes a debt to Evan S. Connell’s wonderful 1959 novel, “Mrs. Bridge” — a debt author Kate Riley freely acknowledges.

Like “Mrs. Bridge,” “Ruth” is written in close third person and structured in short, flat chunks of anecdote and description. The story follows a slightly baffled but obedient woman trying to fit into a life of conformity.

Born into a fictitious, strict Anabaptist commune in 1963, Ruth is, like all women in the religious colony, destined to become a passive and obedient wife. Any imagination or nonconformity is tamped down. Vanity is squashed, as are most emotions. Women wear kerchiefs over their heads and dress in long, homemade skirts provided by the collective. (“Fabrics were assigned and s

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