Want some controversy? Protagonist Stuart has found himself with an overabundance: not only is he gay and out of the closet in a small Christian town that overwhelmingly believes him to be ‘choosing’ a sinful ‘lifestyle’, now his little brother walked in on him while he was jacking off in the shower and then told everyone at their predominantly small-minded church about it. Not so coincidentally, that same morning all the Sunday school teachers were compelled to change their lesson plans to the “Sin of Onan” (spilling seed), and the whole town seems suddenly to be obsessed with the utter wrongness of masturbation.
Stuart also regularly conjures a demon he can coerce into telling him only the truth, and that demon is his source for what really is or is not a true sin (guess where masturbation falls?). Stuart realizes that there is something weird going on in town and hijinks ensue as he works it out with the help of a few friends.
This book is a bit of an oddball, but was a generally enjoyable read for me. Stuart is a likable character and the ridiculous people and events surrounding him make for humorous situations which are mostly well executed. There were a few places where the dialogue didn’t ring true to me, but only a few. The theme certainly feels familiar: the right-wing Christian fear of just about everything related to sex seems more and more prevalent in the media these days, and the inappropriate ways people have been acting lately make this book seem quite plausible. If nothing else, I learned a few new euphemisms.
Reviewed from copy provided by Flux
I am giving away my (paperback but not ARC) copy of this book to the first person to comment here on LibrariAnne (click through if you’re reading this somewhere else) briefly describing your favorite (so-called) sin and why.
Oooh. My favorite so-called sin is lust. A natural extension of love, but fun in a different way.
JenP, you win! Email your address to me at anneheathen at gmail dot com and I’ll send this (and Geektastic!) your way!
Everyone else, I still want to hear your favorite sins! If you can be convinced to share without the allure of a prize.
Great question! Probably pickin fights with the small minded.
Ooh, good answer!
Thank you for the review, Anne! Glad to have taught you those new euphemisms. My sin? As one of my favourite characters once said, “I’m a fan of all seven!”
Good call, Timothy. Glad you found your way here.