In “Lonely Crowds,” we follow the complex relationship between protagonists Ruth and Maria. The two meet as children at their all-girls Catholic school in New England and become fast friends. Ruth is the only child of recent immigrants, and Maria is an orphan under the care of her mentally ill aunt, and the two are some of the only scholarship students in their school. With burgeoning artistic hopes and a desire to escape their home lives, the girls’ relationship deepens into a sort of unwavering devotion as they prepare to move forward together to college.
With college and eventually adulthood come all new complexities. Ruth and Maria constantly revolve around each other, unable to maintain other adult relationships without one another. Their long-held formative friendship veering into obsession and queer desire, shaped by both their upbringings and the art scene of New York City in the ’90s. Eventually, it culminates in a final confrontation that brings everything to a head.
Wambugu’s brilliance in this novel shines in navigating the nuance of the immigrant experience, the queer experience, and Black girlhood all in one. She captures the potential for female friendships to be all-consuming, to develop into something more, and to ultimately leave you lonelier than you were before. The character study and the contrast between the more passive Ruth and the enigmatic (and potentially sociopathic) Maria, feel reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s classic Sula. While Lonely Crowds takes place primarily in the ’90s, it has a timeless quality in its exploration of the inner complexities of women and their relationships. Overall, a fascinating debut!
