A 1973 novel by Rita Mae Brown, Rubyfruit Jungle was a seminal Coming-Out Story in Queer Media and a semi-autobiographical telling of Brown's own life. It follows Molly Bolt, the adopted daughter of a poor Floridian family, and her relationships as she grows older and comes to realize she is gay.
Contains the following tropes:
- Adoption Diss: Carrie subjects Molly to this during an argument.
- The Disease That Shall Not Be Named: Averted when Carrie is arguing with Carl and bluntly points out that he contracted syphilis after sleeping around behind her back.
- Ethical Slut: Molly is quite open to her lovers (both male and female) that while she loves them she doesn't see herself in a permanent relationship, and doesn't actually think a happy, honest, permanent relationship is even possible at all. Her lovers tend to eventually break things off.
- Experimented in College: One of Molly's lovers, the cheerleader Carolyn, rejects the idea that she's a lesbian and claims that their relationship is just this.
- Happily Adopted: Played with in that Molly's relationship with her adopted father Carl is very strong, but her relationship with her adopted mother Carrie is a lot more strained, especially after Carl dies while she's in high school.
- Kissing Cousins: Molly has a brief sexual relationship with her (adopted) cousin Leroy.
- Playing Doctor: Molly does this with her friend Brock, and she goes so far as to charge other kids money to look at his junk.
- Rape and Switch: Molly is raped by her female roommate in college, which helps her realize her own sexuality. She had already had several same-sex relationships before, but this was the one that made her truly realize it.
- Son of a Whore: Carrie very bluntly points out that Molly's mother was Ruby Dollinger, the town whore.
