Rating: 
Summary: Likable, compelling, wild ride in a different reality
Review: I liked the character(s) of Andrew Gage and his souls so much. Despite the sensational topic, it never felt forced or made up. The realism and understated presentation had me hooked from the first pages. After the over-the-top fun of "Sewer, Gas & Electric," this new Ruff book was a surprise and a deep pleasure. There were a couple times in the book where I just had to put it down and force myself just to reflect on what was coming next -- kind of like revelling in the future of it. Although I've gotten lucky and picked up another amazing book right after "Set This House in Order," I'm already planning on another read.
Rating: 
Summary: A little dissapointing at the end
Review: I was introduced to Matt Ruff by a friend who insisted that everyone he knew read Fool On A Hill. I did, and discovered that I had read another book from the same man, called Sewer, Gas, and Electric. Both of those books are absoilutely fabulous. Set This House In Order was a good read, and very engrossing, but I think it fell flat at the end. It seemed to me that everything was resolved too easily, and too quickly. The buildup of character development and background story had been fabulous (as expected from Matt Ruff), but the final solution wasn't really that interesting, and when the book ended I felt like I should have stopped 3/4 of the way through instead.
Rating:
Summary: Just wonderful
Review: I'm just loving this book and don't want to put it down
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and disturbing
Review: I'm just so impressed by this book that it's hard to put into words. It is intensely disturbing, but it's so well written too. I agree totally with the previous reviewer that it's caused me to really think differently about a few things.
Rating: 
Summary: Unique isn't the word for this book
Review: I've read hundreds of books over the years, but I don't think I've ever read anything quite like this before: a novel whose main character is the dominant soul (to use Matt Ruff's own terminology) of a person with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD).That soul is Andrew Gage - who, in the chronology of Ruff's novel, was "born" just two years ago. Andrew was created by the former dominant soul, Aaron, to take over that role because he (Aaron) was exhausted from dealing with all the other souls in the body and from building the "house" that they all (but one) now reside in. It would take more space than is available in this review to explain about the "house", but Ruff explains this rather interesting concept extremely well. The story deals with Andrew's getting his "house" in order, so to speak; his interaction with a fellow, "immature" victim of MPD, Penny Driver; and his discovery of several things in his body's past that could potentially cause Andrew to lose his place as the dominant personality. I was extremely impressed with Ruff's ability to establish each soul with its own distinct personality. He must have done quite a lot of research on the subject to be able to do this. And to do it with two people (Andrew & Penny) is nothing short of amazing. Penny and her souls are somewhat weaker characters than Andrew and his, but considering Penny's state when Andrew first encounters her that's hardly surprising. Julie Sivik, the woman who brings Andrew and Penny together, seems to me to be a bit of a caricature - she definitely has her own psychological hangups (as does everyone in this book, to one degree or another) - but she is definitely essential to the story, as you'll see. As you read this book you'll encounter quite a few surprises along the way, including one that had me reeling for quite a while - suffice it to say that Andrew and Julie do not get together, despite all the indications Ruff throws at you up to that point. Towards the end he even throws in the elements of a mystery novel. That part of the book is somewhat weaker than the rest of the story, but it's still a vastly entertaining novel and one of the strangest stories I've ever read. From other reviewers I get the impression that this is not at all similar to other fiction Ruff has written. I'm wondering if Ruff can be pigeonholed into any particular category of fiction. I'll pick up another one of his novels and find out.
Rating:
Summary: Unique isn't the word for this book
Review: I've read hundreds of books over the years, but I don't think I've ever read anything quite like this before: a novel whose main character is the dominant soul (to use Matt Ruff's own terminology) of a person with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). That soul is Andrew Gage - who, in the chronology of Ruff's novel, was "born" just two years ago. Andrew was created by the former dominant soul, Aaron, to take over that role because he (Aaron) was exhausted from dealing with all the other souls in the body and from building the "house" that they all (but one) now reside in. It would take more space than is available in this review to explain about the "house", but Ruff explains this rather interesting concept extremely well. The story deals with Andrew's getting his "house" in order, so to speak; his interaction with a fellow, "immature" victim of MPD, Penny Driver; and his discovery of several things in his body's past that could potentially cause Andrew to lose his place as the dominant personality. I was extremely impressed with Ruff's ability to establish each soul with its own distinct personality. He must have done quite a lot of research on the subject to be able to do this. And to do it with two people (Andrew & Penny) is nothing short of amazing. Penny and her souls are somewhat weaker characters than Andrew and his, but considering Penny's state when Andrew first encounters her that's hardly surprising. Julie Sivik, the woman who brings Andrew and Penny together, seems to me to be a bit of a caricature - she definitely has her own psychological hangups (as does everyone in this book, to one degree or another) - but she is definitely essential to the story, as you'll see. As you read this book you'll encounter quite a few surprises along the way, including one that had me reeling for quite a while - suffice it to say that Andrew and Julie do not get together, despite all the indications Ruff throws at you up to that point. Towards the end he even throws in the elements of a mystery novel. That part of the book is somewhat weaker than the rest of the story, but it's still a vastly entertaining novel and one of the strangest stories I've ever read. From other reviewers I get the impression that this is not at all similar to other fiction Ruff has written. I'm wondering if Ruff can be pigeonholed into any particular category of fiction. I'll pick up another one of his novels and find out.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: If the only way you can see Multiple Personality Disorder is through the lens of Sybil, then maybe you should pass this book by, or at least commit to reading it with an open mind. Andrew and Penny are many things and many people, but they are not Sybil. This book is slightly more grounded in reality than Ruff's other books (no talking animals or genocidal computers, sorry) but that doesn't mean that this book isn't just as well-written and compelling. In fact, it's more so. The best thing I can say about this book is that it changed the way I thought. It's very convincing, and after a few bad experiences with books that failed to convince me of their message, this book was a relief.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable !
Review: Knowing (and admiring) Matt from his last two books, I was very much looking forward to read more "simply crazily entertaining stuff". Now, I was more than positively surpised, Matt not only kept his humor, but also mixed it with psychotherapy and neurology to write a romance, a journey, a novel that is beyond description. I dare not to write more about the content, because it would simply spoil the surprise. This book is what I call a STRONG BUY. Bravo Matt, looking again forward for the next evolution step in romance-fiction.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful character driven novel
Review: Matt Ruff has has been a favorite of mine since college when my girlfriend raved about Fool on the Hill and indeed I loved it too! This novel here is a departure for Ruff in that the fantastic isn't evident. What is consitant are the many rich characters within, however they're mostly inside two people, Andy & Penny. What's so incredible is that this novel, full of winsome charm, pulls you in with this same charm and an almost voyeuristic interest (for me) about the personalities inside the principal characters. Furthermore, as my fiancee (the same woman), who has worked in the mental health field for over eight years says, Ruff got MPD right.
This novel is not only a personal look into this fascinating yet sad disease, it also accomplishes something only the best of literature can; It broadens the soul.
Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled, it's not perfect.
Review: Matt Ruff's book Fool on the Hill has gotten lots of indie acclaim, so much so that I was reluctant to read it at first. Needless to say I wouldn't be reviewing this book if the other hadn't made a very good impression on me. It was a wonderful book. This is not that book. This book started off very good. As a matter of a fact, the review you may have read from the person that was halfway through was very close to what I would have written at that point. But then the book had to end. And I just felt that the ending was much much weaker than the book was angling toward. It's still a good read, but it's not anywhere near the brilliance of Fool on the Hill.
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