What happens when a loving family man dies suddenly and a stranger takes his place?

IVY HILL is a thoroughly American coming-of-age story set in the mid-20th century.  Earthy, realistic, and mordantly funny, it is rich with details of that iconic era.  It is also a timeless, universal tale of redemption, morality and conquering adversity, with nearly-mythic elements anyone from any century and virtually any culture would recognize: there’s a wicked giant, a good grandmother and a bad one, a “ghost” or two, and even, in a manner of speaking, a dark potion.

And at the center of the story, an innocent child.

Love, death, danger and fate intertwine in this novel, which  was inspired by author Arthur Ruben’s actual life. It takes place in Brooklyn from 1952-1957, then Newark from 1958-1970.  Ruben’s protagonist, five-year-old “Eddie,” is devastated following the death of his beloved 34-year-old father. He waits in vain and with a slowly breaking heart for Daddy to return. His mother’s disastrous remarriage, plus the family’s wrenching move from Brooklyn, NY, to the Ivy Hill section of Newark, NJ, turns Eddie’s life inside out. Over the next thirteen years, he is transformed from helpless brokenhearted child into an entirely different creature. The post-war society he was born into is also transformed: the repercussions of that potent and turbulent time, still in living memory—Viet Nam, Woodstock, the Mansons, and especially now, civil rights—are with us to this day, and will resonate with millions of readers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New novel “Ivy Hill” by Arthur Ruben with Eleanor Cooney is released, a comedic and emotional drama about coming of age in the 1960s after a devastating loss

 New novel “Ivy Hill” by Arthur Ruben with Eleanor Cooney has been released worldwide. This 465-page work of literary fiction combines elements of drama, comedy, and history to tell the compelling story of Eddie, who loses his father at the tender age of five. Over the next thirteen years, uprooted from his home in Brooklyn and moved to the Ivy Hill area of Newark, New Jersey, Eddie’s life is a tumultuous journey of grief, danger, and ultimately, growth.

Punctuated by moments of hilarity, Eddie’s coming-of-age tale is one of perseverance and transformation. Readers accompany the young boy as he moves through stages of heartbreak, confusion, anger, and helplessness to become a wholly new version of himself.

His father’s untimely death, his mother’s disastrous new marriage, and contending with an unfamiliar environment are only some of the difficulties Eddie faces. The events of the novel take place between 1952 and 1970, and the broad social changes of the era are a fitting backdrop for the protagonist’s burgeoning adolescence.

Inspired by Ruben’s own childhood and reinforced by the author’s experience as a social worker with troubled youth, the novel realistically portrays the emotional rollercoaster of a child reeling from a loss, and shows that no matter the heartache and struggle, the worst times can be a catalyst for wisdom and personal development. This sometimes gritty, sometimes funny, always riveting novel tackles the universal discomfort of change, beautifully weaving together deeply personal challenges and larger societal upheaval into an immersive exploration of Eddie’s path to young adulthood.

With themes relatable to any reader and vibrant narrative clarity, Ruben and Cooney have created a resonant, heart-wrenching story that reminds audiences that tragedy can lead to triumph.

Ivy Hill (ISBN: 9781961532205) can be purchased through retailers worldwide, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon. The paperback retails for $22.99, and the ebook retails for $9.99. Review copies and interviews are available upon request.

From the back cover:

What happens when a loving family man dies suddenly and a stranger takes his place?

A thoroughly American coming-of-age story set in the mid-20th century urban northeast, IVY HILL is earthy, realistic, gritty, and mordantly funny, rich with details of that iconic era. It is also a timeless, universal tale of tragedy, redemption, morality, and conquering adversity. Love, death, danger, and fate intertwine in this novel, which was inspired by author Arthur Ruben’s actual life, which was upended when his beloved young father died, in 1957. Ruben was not quite six years old. Eddie, the protagonist of the novel, waits in vain and with a slowly breaking heart for Daddy to return. Over thirteen years, Eddie is transformed into a different creature, and so is the post-war society he was born into. The repercussions of that potent and turbulent time – JFK, RFK, MLK, Viet Nam, Woodstock, the Mansons, Altamont, men on the moon, and especially now, civil rights – are with us to this day, and will resonate with millions of readers.

About the authors:

Eleanor Cooney

Eleanor Cooney is the author of the internationally bestselling T’ANG TRILOGY, as well as the critically acclaimed memoir DEATH IN SLOW MOTION. She coauthored (with Frank G. Ford) the explosive memoir of the Iraq War MIDNIGHT IN SAMARRA. Her work has appeared in Mother Jones and Harper’s magazines.

Arthur Ruben

Arthur Ruben was born in Brooklyn, NY and lived within one block of four generations of family members. He lived there until age 6, when the untimely death of his 34 year old father and remarriage of his mother uprooted the family to the Ivy Hill section of Newark, New Jersey, where he lived from 1958-1970. A graduate of Vailsburg High School and The American University, Art received his MSW from Catholic University, then returned to American to earn a joint MBA/MPA in Public Financial Management while also working full-time. A retired insurance broker and Certified Financial Planner, Art previously served as the Clinical Director of a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed adolescent girls. IVY HILL is Art’s first novel and was inspired by the abrupt changes to his youth and adolescence.

About Manhattan Book Group:

Manhattan Book Group (“MBG”), located on Broadway in New York City, is a registered trade name of Mindstir Media LLC. MBG is widely known as a premier hybrid book publisher. We have combined the best of traditional publishing with the best of self-publishing to provide authors with the “best of both worlds” in a sense. To learn more about MBG, visit https://www.manhattanbookgroup.com