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I stared out of the passenger seat into the vast and blurry evening. The night sky looked like a dirty blackboard smeared with chalk dust from an old eraser. Soon, fog would cover Modesto like a tablecloth. Until then, I could see the outlines of orchards and houses in the distance. Fragments of memories that may or may not have happened sped past as we drove up Oakdale Road.
Two childhood best friends reunite in Modesto over Thanksgiving weekend. Eric is a promising college senior who wants to move home after graduation. Travis is a junior college dropout who’s never been anywhere else. As Blackout Wednesday unfolds, both friends set out in search of the perfect night out—Eric wants to impress high school classmates and old crushes, while Travis hopes to get back together with his ex-girlfriend.
But behind the road beers, memories, and old flames lies an unspoken reckoning with the notion of “home.” Our relationships with the places that raised us change as we do. Nostalgia tempts us to rewrite the past. But coming home means reconciling who we were with who we’ve become.
Can Eric and Travis make peace with themselves, each other, and Modesto before the night ends?
Told with humor and heart, Eric Ruiz’s first book explores relationships—with friends, lovers, and, above all, places we call home. Readers seeking a poignant story filled with nostalgia and hope, not to mention timely rap references, will find it hard to leave Modesto behind.
About Eric
Eric writes about the differences that make us the same. His essays on culture, identity, and belonging have been featured in publications such as Fast Company, Observer, Entrepreneur, and Howler Magazine. He has also appeared on NPR Latino USA to discuss ideas on diversity.
Mr. Ruiz has worked at Waze, Netflix, and Google in various sales, marketing, and business development roles. He co-owns Eric’s Nopales, a family-owned pickled cactus company. Eric graduated from Modesto Junior College and San Diego State University. He also spent a semester at the University of Barcelona.
After more than a decade of living overseas and across the United States, Mr. Ruiz has found himself back home in the Central Valley, where he resides with his wife, children, and a super-anxious Beagle Chihuahua mix named Pinta. You can reach Mr. Ruiz via email at ericmartinruiz@gmail.com. He can also be found on Instagram @ericmruiz.
