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A review by nagam
Small Town Sinners by Melissa C. Walker
3.0
Lacey Anne Byer lives in a small, Christian town known for their yearly production of Hell House her evangelical church puts on. Hell House is a play in which several scenes are acted out. It's harsh. Brutal. Very conservative. Each year the production leads several people to begin a relationship with Jesus. For Lacey, life is very black and white. Until she re-meets Ty, a boy she knew growing up.
Several serious things happen through the course of the book (an actual pregnancy, the questioning of one friend's sexuality, a drunk driving incident). Ty is deeply questioning how he feels about Chrisitanity, especially Lacey's church's stance on everything. Slowly Lacey begins to realize that nothing is easily categorized and many things are much harder to deal with when they're happening to people you love and care about.
I had read brilliant reviews of this book. I am a Chrisitan and found it so encouraging that so many non-Christians were reading this book and finding it interesting. It quickly moved to the top of my to-be-read list. There were still moments in this book that made me cringe. Especially moments in the beginning of the book when Lacey freely speaks and voices her opinion about things. Her opinion sometimes differed from mine; her church was much more charismatic than mine (with the speaking in tongues). Ultimately, I am glad I read this book. I think it's a beautiful story of a girl who begins to believe on her own - to question and understand things on her own. Not to simply accept the answers her parents have given her, but to question, grow, and formulate her own answers. To understand God on her own. I think this is something most people go through - with the end result being very different for each person.
Several serious things happen through the course of the book (an actual pregnancy, the questioning of one friend's sexuality, a drunk driving incident). Ty is deeply questioning how he feels about Chrisitanity, especially Lacey's church's stance on everything. Slowly Lacey begins to realize that nothing is easily categorized and many things are much harder to deal with when they're happening to people you love and care about.
I had read brilliant reviews of this book. I am a Chrisitan and found it so encouraging that so many non-Christians were reading this book and finding it interesting. It quickly moved to the top of my to-be-read list. There were still moments in this book that made me cringe. Especially moments in the beginning of the book when Lacey freely speaks and voices her opinion about things. Her opinion sometimes differed from mine; her church was much more charismatic than mine (with the speaking in tongues). Ultimately, I am glad I read this book. I think it's a beautiful story of a girl who begins to believe on her own - to question and understand things on her own. Not to simply accept the answers her parents have given her, but to question, grow, and formulate her own answers. To understand God on her own. I think this is something most people go through - with the end result being very different for each person.