MADreads

Life in the fish bowl

November 17th, 2007 Emily - Lakeview

Tom Perrotta has proven himself a keen observer of small town life and the intricacies of sustaining relationships when everybody knows your business.  His latest novel, The Abstinence Teacher, is another great study of life in the fish bowl.  Ruth Ramsay, the health teacher makes an off-hand comment in sex ed class one day regarding oral sex (”Some people actually enjoy it.”)  This sets off a storm of complaint from parents belonging to the new Evangelical church in town, Tabernacle of the Gospel Truth and Ruth’s job may be on the line.  Adding to Ruth’s stress is her daughter’s soccer coach, Tim Mason, a newly drug-free church member who leads the team in prayer one day and JoAnn Marlowe, the abstinence curriculum director brought in to reform Ruth’s teachings. 

All of the characters in this novel go through a test of their beliefs, whether it be Ruth’s daughter’s trip to church, Tim’s resistance of the temptation of drinking, or Ruth’s gay friend’s boyfriend who won’t propose.  Perrotta strikes gold with this novel by leading readers through the complex relationships between the characters and even throws in Ruth’s high school love affair for good measure.  This book included witty dialogue and tackles issues relevant to society today.  I’d venture to say we can expect this one, like other Perrotta novels, in theatres some time in the future.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction