Sometimes you read a book that really challenges your accepted notions of something, whether for good or for bad. This book certainly did this for me. This week I read Sharon K Shouza's Lying on Sunday, a book I thought I'd enjoy, but didn't expect my dishes to go undone for two days while I finished it.
Lying on Sunday is the story of Abbie Torrington, a Californian mother of two college-age girls, with a passion for shoes and a five bedroom mansion in an exclusive Sacramento suburb. The book jumps right in with a phone call saying that her husband has died of a heart attack in another woman's bed, followed only an hour later by divorce papers being served to her. What comes after this is a taut and heartfelt exploration of Abbie's grief and ultimate renewal in the face of her refusal to defame the memory of their father in the minds of her girls.
This is a book well worth reading.
Yes, you can borrow mine...but you HAVE to give it back.
The reason I say this (the borrowing bit, I'm sure the giving it back is self-explanatory), is because it's super-difficult to get through the normal channels in Australia, unless you want to buy it on Amazon (which I did).
The reason for this is also the answer to my first paragraph, why this book challenged my accepted notions. It's a Christian book.
Yes, I'm a Christian. Out and proud. However, with the exception of the bible, I don't read Christian books. Much as I hate to admit it I actually found myself with a really strong prejudice against them. There'll be times I've searched Amazon and found books that look kind of interesting, I've looked down to see who published it and if it was a Christian publisher I've simply moved on to the next book. Why? Because the ones I've read have (in my opinion - I know many who don't share it) have sacrificed quality writing, storytelling or character development for the sake of preachiness or simplistic romantic storylines.
Anyone ever felt this way?
Yes, there have been exceptions to this. The problem I've found is that it's hard to find authors I enjoy without having to buy the book - often sight unseen. The local Christian bookshops tend to stock huge amounts of romance, recently coupled with Christian chick-lit, none of which appeals to me. Although many more titles are available on order I don't have the budget to order them (with the expectation to purchase) to open it up and find it's really bland. Nor can you get them out of the library.
I took the plunge on this one though, and I wasn't disappointed. Written in first person, Abbie has a strong and engaging voice, and although she and I are very different characters I found myself drawn into her world and her dilemmas very quickly. Abbie isn't a Christian, and I got nervous when she started meeting Christians ("oh no, please don't put a cheesy, preachy conversion scene here!"), but Souza handled all these areas with a perfect amount of restraint, and stayed very true to her characters and story. I was very impressed.
I'm a convert. I'll certainly read more of Souza's work, and hopefully those like her. Come on Koorong Hobart, lets start stocking books of this ilk!
Verdict:
Excellent. Read it if you enjoy stories that explore emotional issues in depth.
No comments:
Post a Comment