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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Very interesting, but I was disappointed that the main character is never fully explained.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
The Village meets The Rapture of Canaan. Interesting commentary on how communities treat the unhoused, race, and wealth.
Pew is an extraordinary tale of a human that is found in a church. Sleeping. Later, a family finds them, feeds them, and some would say “claim” them as their own. As time increases, the town is wary and even suspicious as they learn nothing about this strange human. Throughout this tale it makes you question humanity, morals, sanity, christianity, and sometimes even yourself. As I read this, I kept getting hooked by each word that was spoken to me, my thoughts flew from page to page as I flew through them. In the span of three days – this book was in the back of my mind, and I even had to force myself from not picking it up to do my other tasks at hand. Catherine Lacey makes you question everything you have ever known as the letters sing a beautiful melody. At some point I wanted to hug Pew and other times I saw Pew as myself – strange, isn’t it? How can a character resonate with you so much or nothing at all? Strange.
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
beautiful and stunning
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Good for a close reading on small town American and grapplings with race, gender, and general fear of outsiders. Tension builds slowly and masterfully. Ominous yet deeply funny and absurd at times. Satisfyingly unsatisfying as it leaves the reader with more questions to reflect on than definitive answers.
When a genderless, racially ambiguous person is found asleep on a pew in a church, the strange visitor sends the small southern town into disarray. The visitor refuses to speak to any of the congregation members, as well as the rest of the town. This leads to the town referring to this visitor as "Pew".
Lacey explores the concept Christianity and the need for identification and categorization. So you can imagine the uproar Pew's presence caused as this person had no distinctive attributes that could easily categorize them. Members of the congregation take turns giving Pew a place to stay, eat, and rest. They often say how they accept Pew as one of them, yet when Pew "doesn't cooperate", the townsfolk reveal just how judgmental they truly are. They became suspicious and uncomfortable by Pew's silence and resistance to labels.
Overall, I thought the themes of the story were well written and really eye-opening. The message that labels or lack thereof dictate how you're treated is a sad truth about today's society. While I enjoyed the story, I wouldn't say this is a 5-star read. The "Forgiveness Festival" was a bit of a letdown. I thought it was underwhelming, but maybe that's just me. I also felt the other characters were a bit one-dimensional to the point where it felt like it was the same person telling the stories. Nevertheless, I really liked this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lacey explores the concept Christianity and the need for identification and categorization. So you can imagine the uproar Pew's presence caused as this person had no distinctive attributes that could easily categorize them. Members of the congregation take turns giving Pew a place to stay, eat, and rest. They often say how they accept Pew as one of them, yet when Pew "doesn't cooperate", the townsfolk reveal just how judgmental they truly are. They became suspicious and uncomfortable by Pew's silence and resistance to labels.
Overall, I thought the themes of the story were well written and really eye-opening. The message that labels or lack thereof dictate how you're treated is a sad truth about today's society. While I enjoyed the story, I wouldn't say this is a 5-star read. The "Forgiveness Festival" was a bit of a letdown. I thought it was underwhelming, but maybe that's just me. I also felt the other characters were a bit one-dimensional to the point where it felt like it was the same person telling the stories. Nevertheless, I really liked this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced