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Crooked Little
Heart Reading Anne Lamott's nonfiction is like talking to the ultimate sinner-turned-Christian. She's still rough around the edges and doesn't think that's a problem. In one sentence she swears and the next she marvels at Jesus. It's a little hard to handle for some, refreshing for others. Reading Anne Lamott's fiction is like trying a digestible version of the liberal Jesus freak. She writes about life directly and faith indirectly in a very approachable manner. She tells stories anyone--churched and unchurched--can understand and appreciate. Crooked Little Heart is the story of a young girl becoming a teenager and her mother trying to cope, trying to accept the death of her husband and the fact that her child is now a young woman. It sounds all touchy-feely, but then the mother, Elizabeth, swears and cries and tries so hard and the young girl, Rosie, turns red with embarrassment and says their family is like a family you'd buy at a garage sale. Throw in a New Age friend who finds Jesus in the most natural and believable way, and you have the most realistic novel with Christian themes I've read in a while. At times Lamott's transitions seem abrupt, but once she gets going it flows. She uses unique metaphors that make you stop and cheer, and characters that seem so real you could smack them upside the head for being so stupid, so human. Lamott's personal experience comes through in nearly every character, which is much more noticeable if you've read her nonfiction. Crooked Little Heart is a needed reminder that "Christian" art doesn't have to thump you over the head with the Bible or contain pompous, self-righteous, nearly perfect characters. This is not Christian Bookstore fiction. Nobody comes to Jesus on their knees in the middle of a field. There may be a swear word or two, perhaps a little talk about sex. In short, it's realistic fiction. What a concept. |
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