LIZ: BOOK #45

The Effects of Light by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

368 pages

Completed 12/27/10

Let me begin by saying I could not wait to finish this book; but not for my usual reason of not liking it. Instead, I had to know what happened as soon as possible. When I say that Beverly-Whittemore is talented, I mean it in a way that makes you not want to do anything else but finish her story.

The story of Myla and Pru Wolfe, whose single father David introduces them to photographer Ruth Handel, is one you are quickly sucked into. Ruth's nude portraits of the girls become "the centerpiece around which their lives unravel." As reader, you are introduced to Kate Scott, aka Myla Wolfe. After a mysterious letter summons her home to Portland, Oregon, pieces of the tragedy that killed her sister and forced Myla to start her life anew begin. The novel is told alternatingly by Kate/Myla and young Pru.

The emotion in this book is overwhleming, but not in a sappy, sad way. In fact, I found myself surprised towards the end when I was moved to tears, as I had not experienced such emotion throughout my reading. My only complaint about this debut novel of Beverly-Whittemore's is the somewhat-rambling philosophical tellings of Myla's deceased father; I will admit that I skipped over most of it for lack of interest.

LIZ: BOOK #8

I'm Perfect, You're Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing by Kyria Abrahams

352 pages

Completed 2/2/10

Religions - especially ones surrounded my controversy - fascinate me. My own maternal grandmother briefly practiced alongside the Jehovah Witnesses and it was, especially to my 10 year old mind, odd. No recognition of birthdays, Halloween, cereal brands; this is religion?! So when I picked up Abrahams' book on her own JW's upbringing, I was intrigued. A self-described precocious child, Abrahams reveled in her religion and its meetings, rules, and family dynamic.

Once she reached her teens, however, the author's story takes a dramatic turn with rebellion, a bout of OCD, and a marriage at eighteen. Drugs and alcohol make a brief appearance (as in most memoirs) and she struggles with her religious identity.

While religions do pique my interest, I was not necessarily intrigued by this memoir. Expecting a dark, humorous account a la Augusten Burrough's "Running With Scissors," I was deeply disappointed. The humor is lacking after the first third of the book, and the ending - which can only be described as abrupt - leaves you with nothing.