Phillip is a sort-of atheist (maybe) falling for an
evangelical Christian named Rebekah. That’s a problem. His dad is a DEFINITELY atheist;
and the fact that his mom decided she believed in God and turned their basement
into an Apocalypse shelter right before she DIED makes the whole ‘religion
thing’ an atomic bomb. So starts a
funny, sad, honest look at friendship, love, faith, doubt, and all the other
things that will help you survive an apocalypse.
I picked this one up because the cover is unique, but
was worried. NOT ANOTHER APOCALYPSE
BOOK!!! Fortunately, the apocalypse is just symbolic and emotional! This isn’t
dystopia, it’s (really good) contemporary fiction. Contemporary fiction (books set in the
present where there are no robots, dystopias, ghosts, vampires, zombies, etc.)
are a tough thing to make work, because you can’t use the fantastical to bring
interest. What works best about this book is that all the major characters feel
flawed, real, and relatable. They don’t
just represent an idea the author wants to examine or a character ‘type’ to
move the plot forward. The characters are funny, but without seeming like
professional comedy writers in teenage bodies.
I loved Phillip and Rebekah and really found myself rooting for them,
even when it was obvious that they both have real issues. The most impressive thing is this book is
able to look at faith and religion in a very funny but open-minded way. They do poke fun at the excesses of the
sub-culture that is evangelical life, but they also show that is has plenty of
good people in it who aren’t crazy or mean in any way. So pick this up and you’ll laugh, cry, learn
about the importance of letting go whilst simultaneously holding on, and find
out how to survive symbolic apocalypses.
No comments:
Post a Comment