My first time reading Ruth Shaw’s The Bookseller at the End of the World was over a rainy New Year in a tent at a Catlins campground. I was instantly captivated by her unflinching writing style and her three ‘wee’ bookshops, and subsequently changed the itinerary to spend two days in the quiet township of Manapouri. After visiting the bookshops, a blaze of colour against the wet grey-green of the mountains, and seeing no sign of Ruth, I resigned myself to not meeting with the bookseller whose autobiography had so touched me.
The Bookseller at the End of the World
This meant that when I learned about Friends of the Library holding an Author Talk and interview with Ruth Shaw at Tūranga (Wednesday 7 August 2024), I jumped at the chance. I was struck at first by the vibrant buzz of the room, and the number of attendees. Scorpio Books provided copies of The Bookseller and Bookshop Dogs to buy, with many purchasing and joining the seemingly never-ending line to have the book signed by Ruth. A notable quirk of Ruth’s is that she does not just sign her name and call it a day - she writes a personalised message, taking her time in getting to know each person. This would surely be overwhelming for anyone, not least one of the 240 residents of the tiny town at the gateway to Fiordland. However she pushed through, with so many people wishing to meet and speak with her that the line seemed to not have diminished by the time the talk started.
Amanda Cropp had a great back-and-forth with Ruth, delicately dancing the line between the hard-hitting subjects of Shaw’s memoir, interspersed with the funny stories of her life and the people around her. The room was struck by Ruth's quiet strength, energy, and above all honesty. Ruth does not pretend to be anyone else but herself, and she does not flinch from discussing painful subjects. She says:
“If my writing doesn’t make me cry, then it’s not good enough for my readers. If my writing doesn’t make me laugh, then it’s not good enough for my readers.”
Ruth’s catapulting to local stardom has come at the price of her privacy. She jokes that when she needs a break, she has to draw the curtains, turn the lights off, and pretend she isn’t home. Yet she isn’t tempted to tell people to go away (well, maybe only occasionally). “If people have made that special trip to come and see me, the least I can do is go and give them a hug.” This generosity of her spirit is perhaps why so many readers feel their own sense of being lost echoed in her writing. When discussing this, a self-described woman of extremes, she alternates between finding the humour in her wildly unpredictable life path, and being on the edge of tears, especially when discussing the many souls who she has crossed paths with, and who her book has resonated with. She says softly, “I feel very privileged”, when asked about her impact in the lives of others, and notes that somehow, she always knows the right book in her three wee bookshops which will be the tonic for someone’s soul.
Ruth’s wee bookshops are not only welcoming to people, but to animals as well. This is the subject of her second book Bookshop Dogs. When Amanda Cropp asks her, “Why did you write about bookshop dogs?” she responds, very sincerely - “I was told the two most bestselling topics are books and dogs”. However, it is clear to the audience that her reason for writing is not just selling books, but to tell stories and create the same sense of authenticity and connection. That is, authenticity - except for one photoshoot from Bookshop Dogs. With that signature Catholic-guilt confession ringing in her voice, she admits that a photoshoot was doctored, with a frozen possum from a deep freezer. She laughs, “The poor dog Bill didn’t understand why he had to pretend to catch a dead possum!”
Throughout her life, Ruth has worn many different hats and been many things. One of these was a youth worker on the streets of Invercargill. She noticed that when she tried to connect with youths, many would shut down - however they were much more open with her dog, Hunza. She began to let youths seek comfort from and tell their problems to Hunza, while Ruth listened and said nothing. It would often be months before Ruth eventually spoke with the youth herself. When asked why she thought this worked so well, Ruth responded, “Dogs listen and pick up on your emotions. They love you no matter what.” This arrangement helped Ruth to break the ice and build trust with the youth she was working with.
Ruth tells us about a recent challenge she set herself, a venture into writing romance - a genre she has avoided in the past. She reads us the result, a short story about her “range anxiety” she experiences when traveling in their new Tesla, and how her husband Lance loves her through it. His unwavering support and love has been a constant in her life for the last 20 years, and she does not miss an opportunity to mention him and how their relationship has helped her to heal and stop the cycle of running away when everything gets too much.
She finishes the talk by encouraging us all to write down and tell our own stories. When the room seems unsure, she doubles down. “Everyone has a story to tell.” She tells us to write our own stories, to write about our families, our friends:
“Find the beauty in the mundanity and the ordinary.”
More from Ruth Shaw
- Find books by Ruth Shaw in our collection.
- Tune into So Many Stories August episode: Libraries Learning Specialist Amy Chiles and Specialist Librarian Fee Jay interview the author and bookseller Ruth Shaw.
- Read WORD Christchurch 2022: Whose life is it anyway? a report on a WORD Christchurch session featuring Ruth Shaw, writer Megan Dunn, and writer/broadcaster Clementine Ford.
Ariane
He Hononga | Connection
Tūranga
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