The Smell Of Other People's Houses

Ruth has relocated to an abbey in Canada following her grandmother’s decision. On the way to the abbey, Ruth felt her mind blank.

Three weeks pass and Ruth’s duty in the abbey is the laundry. She is the youngest person there and avoids conversation with the nuns. She is troubled by internal questions about her life and feels lonely, as nobody has communicated with her. She wonders if Dumpling still has her note.

Ruth gets along with Sister Bernadette and Sister Josephine, but not with Sister Agnes. Ruth overhears a conversation that confuses her, as Sister Agnes says that Ruth’s condition is like an “illness” in the family.

Jesus’s image makes Ruth connect herself to him. She imagines the Crucifixion and thinks that Catholics dwell on Jesus’s death rather than on the Insurrection and the promised freedom. Ruth feels “headed right over a cliff” rather than closer to God (122).

The nuns do various jobs, like making soap and beekeeping, selling their items to survive. Sister Josephine agrees to take Ruth along to the mercantile. On the way, Ruth asks questions about a nun’s life and is shocked to learn that Sister Josephine knows her grandmother, who grew up in the abbey and was a cheerful teenager. Outside the mercantile, Ruth sees a Datsun. She notices two boys inside looking disheveled: Hank and Jack. Isabelle is checking the damage on the car’s door.

Ruth helps the Sister sell the soaps and lotions and sees Hank and Jack eating breakfast inside. She hears Isabelle telling the boys they have one more week on the road to Fairbanks. Ruth observes Hank and finds him sweet. When she sees his loving smile toward his brother, she starts crying. Minutes later, Hank comes out staring at her and Sister Josephine leaving.

Ruth wants to learn more about her grandmother. Sister Josephine explains her story. Her mother died, and her father decided to leave her in the abbey. She never overcame her abandonment and left the abbey suddenly. After the illness of Ruth’s mother, she could not cope. Ruth feels she is following her mother and grandmother’s path, but she wants something different.

Ruth receives a letter from Selma and a knitted hat—a gift to Ruth’s baby—and praises her bravery. She also wishes for her quick return and notes that people “don’t have to be blood to be family” (132).

Dora spends time at fish camp with Dumpling, Bunny, and relatives. Dumpling’s father prompts the girls to take a break and borrow the three-wheeler. The three drive to the village, speeding and making noise when a priest yells at them.

The girls drive away toward a swamp. They pass through as Dumpling leads them to a house where the priest from downtown is standing in the yard. Dora is perplexed by Dumpling, wondering why she led them there. The priest invites them for tea, but the girls are nervous in his presence. He asks who they are looking for, but Dumpling decides they should leave and thanks the man for the tea.

As the girls are about to leave, a woman appears outside the house. Dumpling walks back, and the woman, moving “like a wild deer” (139), examines her while the priest and two nuns stand by. Dumpling tells the woman she has a note from Ruth and hands her a blue paper. The woman says her daughter is only five years old and that she is waiting for her husband. Dumpling cries. The woman faces Bunny, calling her Lily. Dora is shocked to hear that the woman is Ruth’s mother. Finally, the woman screams and grabs Dumpling’s hair. Dumpling gives the note to Dora and tells her to leave with Bunny. The girls run, but Dora cannot start the wheeler and decides to run away to where the boat is. Dora sees Dumpling run toward the wheeler as the nuns have restrained Ruth’s mother. She sees Dumpling is safe but hopes she got scratched.

Dora and Bunny arrive at the dock and find Dumpling’s father. Dora says Dumpling is following behind, but she never returns.

The group drives back looking for Dumpling, and Dora feels worried and guilty. They find her wheeler upside down and Dumpling unconscious and injured. She is transported to the hospital on a plane.

Dora regrets what she said about Dumpling being scratched and wishes she would wake up. They all return to the fish camp to inform Dumpling’s mother. They must return earlier to be at the girl’s side. The salmon will not suffice for the year, but Dora thinks that Dumpling’s recovery is more important.

Alyce’s father and uncle consider how to help reconnect Sam with his brothers without revealing the boy. Alyce has lost her sense of time on the boat but still wants to tell her father about the dance audition.

Alyce is infatuated with Sam but controls herself as the two tease each other, naming the fish after poets. Alyce recalls her old interest in fishing as Sam learns through her skills in fish cleaning.

Sam asks Alyce about the ballet shoes hanging on the deck and tells her she must be a good dancer. Alyce explains the scholarship audition in August. Sam asks if she has told her father, but she feels nervous. Moments later, they start a water fight.

The two take Alyce’s raft to float around, and Sam calls her “the weirdest ballerina” (152). Alyce prompts him to tell her his story. He confesses he was constantly thinking of his father but now accepts that he is gone. Sam thought Hank was angry with him and wonders why he did not searched for him. Alyce feels jealous, wishing Sam could stay with her forever. She asks him about his brothers, wishing he would kiss her. Sam urges her to talk to her father about the audition because he loves her. Alyce protests, saying he does not know them well, and calls him excessively optimistic about her dad’s reaction. Sam thinks he is a pessimist compared to his brother Jack.

Alyce’s dad contacts the ferry and learns that Hank and Jack surrendered more than a week ago. The operator says there was a “domestic issue,” and now the boys are headed to Fairbanks with a social worker. Alyce is surprised they are going to her hometown. She watches her father and realizes he is helping Sam because she cares about him. He tells Sam he could fly to Fairbanks with Alyce because she must be there for her audition. Alyce is shocked to hear this from her father. He says she should only have asked, and she embraces him. She must not worry about fishing because Uncle Corky will help her father.

Outside the mercantile, Hank thinks of Ruth, surprised to have seen a pregnant girl his age, and wonders why she was crying. Hank found the red ribbon from Ruth’s hair on the ground and took it with him. Jack has taken a soap made by the Sisters from the abbey and gives it to Hank. Hank goes back inside the mercantile, as Isabelle is looking for a mechanic to fix her car. The boy asks where the abbey is, but the man says visitors are prohibited.

The group spends the night in the car. The next day, Hank tells Jack and Isabelle he wants to go for a walk in the woods, but he searches for the abbey. Hank follows an isolated road and swims across the river when he sees the abbey in the woods. He walks naked toward the building, planning to leave the red ribbon on the clothesline. Ruth comes out with the laundry. Hank hides but greets Ruth, and she is frightened and threatens to call Mother Superior. Hank comes out and Ruth immediately recognizes him. She gives him a sheet and tells him he must leave. Hank gives her the ribbon and asks her if she is all right. Ruth finally leads him toward the trees, and as Hank holds her hand for help, he feels her pulse. Ruth explains her breakdown in the mercantile, saying she is dealing with many issues. She also tells Hank she is from Fairbanks. Hank does not ask questions, but Ruth explains Hank’s brotherly affection made her cry. He is perplexed but feels good talking with her. He tells her they could meet in Fairbanks someday. Ruth ties the red ribbon around Hank’s wrist, asking him to keep it, and then she walks away.

The boys continue their road trip with Isabelle for two more weeks. Hank thinks that every small or big thing can change people. He feels his meeting with Ruth was a dream and wishes he could have asked her more questions about her baby and her life.

They arrive in Fairbanks in late August. Isabelle goes to talk to a woman at the newspaper. When she returns, she tells the boys that her friend is at the ballet audition, and they must go meet her.