Book Review: The Abstinence Teacher

I picked this novel up while perusing a shelf of New York Times Bestsellers not long ago. I was intrigued by the back cover blurb which read:

Stonewood Heights is the perfect place to raise kids...It's the kind of place where parents are involved in their children's lives...Ruth Ramsey is the human sexuality teacher...She believes that "pleasure is good, shame is bad, and knowledge is power." Ruth's younger daughter's soccer coach is Tim Mason, a former stoner and rocker whose response to hitting rock bottom was to reach out and be saved. Tim belongs to The Tabernacle, an evangelical Christian church that doesn't approve of Ruth's style of teaching. And Ruth in turn doesn't applaud The Tabernacle's mission to take its message outside its doors.

Adversaries in a small-town culture war, Ruth and Tim instinctively mistrust each other. But when a controversy on the soccer field pushes the two of them to actually talk to each other, they are forced to take each other at something other than face value.

The Abstinence Teacher exposes the powerful emotions that run beneath the surface of modern American family life and explores the complex spiritual and sexual lives of ordinary people.

I chose this book because I was interested in seeing how this author portrayed both sides of a rather "hot topic". Here's what I found:

There are several threads that are woven neatly through the narrative. There are the clear threads which are introduced in the description above: abstinence curriculum, evangelical impact in the world. But there is also a thread that I think is much more real for Christians everywhere: addictive personalities that go from drugs and/or alcohol or some other addiction to the Church AND the problem of those churches that can be so controlling and judgmental.

I also love how the author presents subtle parallels in the individual battles of each of the main characters. For example, Tim is on the "side" of the evangelicals demanding the abstinence curriculum from Ruth. She is upset at the intolerance of those church members. But when Ruth finds herself feeling totally violated when Tim offers prayer at her daughter's soccer game, she is no less tolerant.

For those of you who limit yourselves to "Christian books" this is NOT a book that specifically fits that category. It is presented fairly, in my opinion and gives the reader the view of different lenses that could belong to any person in our own communities. But it is also quite graphic at some points and includes language that might be offensive to some. Although I think the inclusion of these references in the book help the reader consider other sides and viewpoints.

Without revealing it, I want to say that I was disappointed in the ending. It didn't "wrap up" enough for me...in fact, it unraveled a bit of the story at this point in my opinion. That being said, I'm glad I took the time to read it and enjoyed the personal connections to my own life and experiences.