The Fifth Wheel: A Novel

The narrative follows Ruth, a socially gifted young woman whose family regards her chiefly as ornament, as she moves through a university-town social scene of teas, parties, and suitors while confronting sudden financial and emotional shifts. Told in episodic scenes and with shifts of narrator, the story traces flirtations—notably with Breckenridge Sewall—domestic tensions, and personal setbacks that prompt Ruth to reassess her ambitions and habits. Through social encounters and family conversation, it examines expectations placed on women, the pull between appearance and responsibility, and a gradual search for independence and self-understanding.