A review by themaddiest
Small Town Sinners by Melissa C. Walker
4.0
Lacey Anne Byers has always had faith and has always been active in her church. This year, she’s finally old enough to take a crucial, active role in her church’s annual Hell House: an event which uses dramatic enactments of sins to scare people into (re)committing themselves to Jesus. When Lacey’s childhood friend Ty shows up and the two feel a connection, he also forces her to ask some hard questions about her religion, her beliefs, and her faith in people.
I’ll admit it: Melissa Walker’s thorough examination of one girl’s faith caught me by surprise. I always go into books that focus heavily on religion with a bit of trepidation. I’m not always sure how message-happy the author is going to get, and I worry about how that will impact my opinion of the book. Luckily, Walker’s book walks the line between sincere and preachy and balances it beautifully. This is a challenging book, but it is also very respectful.
Lacey and her friends are interesting, rare characters in YA these days: modern teenagers living in a small town, they are also very sheltered and innocent. In a world where seven-year-olds are performing sexual acts when the teacher’s back is turned and teens are being arrested for sexting, it’s this innocence that seems almost archaic, but it never feels false or inauthentic. In fact, Walker’s sensitivity and attention to detail with regard to these characters is the driving force behind much of the novel. As Lacey discusses her beliefs with Ty and begins to question the purpose of Hell House more and more, she also learns to find her own voice and articulate her thoughts. There are moments where these conversations are in danger of becoming too didactic, but Walker’s focus on Lacey’s journey ensures that the line is never completely crossed.
The story is also quite atmospheric, as Walker takes care with creating the sense of a small town. Lacey and her friends are products of their environment, kept away from outside influences and protected from the world’s messier aspects. When Lacey’s best friend Starla Joy goes through a family crisis, the shock the other characters feel is genuine. So too are the complicated feelings Lacey feels for Ty, whose past is a little shadowy and whose signals are mixed. All of this–especially the tentative teen romance–is done very well.
The book is not without its problems, though. I struggled with one thing in particular, relating to Lacey and her relationship with her father. Lacey’s father, a youth pastor, is described as being the one person she could always talk to about her life and about her faith. But the second she starts questioning some of the church’s beliefs, her father shuts down completely. His unwillingness to communicate or engage in any form of dialogue didn’t jive with his previous characterization. While I understand that people can change, especially when confronted with difficult questions, it didn’t make sense for a character who would have had extensive training in talking with teens about issues and faith. It felt too much like a plot point to create conflict than it did actual character development.
Overall, this is a tender, thoughtful read. Although I wonder a little about the intended audience (and whether or not it will ever be read by them), I think it’s a book that can be enjoyed by people of all faiths and belief systems (or lack thereof). Recommended for fans of contemporary YA.
Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker. Bloomsbury: 2011. Library copy.
I’ll admit it: Melissa Walker’s thorough examination of one girl’s faith caught me by surprise. I always go into books that focus heavily on religion with a bit of trepidation. I’m not always sure how message-happy the author is going to get, and I worry about how that will impact my opinion of the book. Luckily, Walker’s book walks the line between sincere and preachy and balances it beautifully. This is a challenging book, but it is also very respectful.
Lacey and her friends are interesting, rare characters in YA these days: modern teenagers living in a small town, they are also very sheltered and innocent. In a world where seven-year-olds are performing sexual acts when the teacher’s back is turned and teens are being arrested for sexting, it’s this innocence that seems almost archaic, but it never feels false or inauthentic. In fact, Walker’s sensitivity and attention to detail with regard to these characters is the driving force behind much of the novel. As Lacey discusses her beliefs with Ty and begins to question the purpose of Hell House more and more, she also learns to find her own voice and articulate her thoughts. There are moments where these conversations are in danger of becoming too didactic, but Walker’s focus on Lacey’s journey ensures that the line is never completely crossed.
The story is also quite atmospheric, as Walker takes care with creating the sense of a small town. Lacey and her friends are products of their environment, kept away from outside influences and protected from the world’s messier aspects. When Lacey’s best friend Starla Joy goes through a family crisis, the shock the other characters feel is genuine. So too are the complicated feelings Lacey feels for Ty, whose past is a little shadowy and whose signals are mixed. All of this–especially the tentative teen romance–is done very well.
The book is not without its problems, though. I struggled with one thing in particular, relating to Lacey and her relationship with her father. Lacey’s father, a youth pastor, is described as being the one person she could always talk to about her life and about her faith. But the second she starts questioning some of the church’s beliefs, her father shuts down completely. His unwillingness to communicate or engage in any form of dialogue didn’t jive with his previous characterization. While I understand that people can change, especially when confronted with difficult questions, it didn’t make sense for a character who would have had extensive training in talking with teens about issues and faith. It felt too much like a plot point to create conflict than it did actual character development.
Overall, this is a tender, thoughtful read. Although I wonder a little about the intended audience (and whether or not it will ever be read by them), I think it’s a book that can be enjoyed by people of all faiths and belief systems (or lack thereof). Recommended for fans of contemporary YA.
Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker. Bloomsbury: 2011. Library copy.