Straight Up

Please first read previous post: I am a picky reader. I wrote that to bring some context and background to my observations here.

I received my copy of Lisa Samson’s new novel “Straight Up” a couple of days ago (and I want to say that I only “know” Lisa through her blog). I had been dealing with some very painful news all that day and was quite ready to be transported to another place for a while, so I allowed myself to set aside my “shoulds” for the evening, and dive right into reading.

I finally put the book down, finished, at about 12:30 a.m.. And I didn’t regret it the next morning, even when the alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. and I had only had about 4 ½ hours of sleep.

Let me just say right up front that I really liked this book. I was a little worried when I started reading, because Lisa uses the technique where chapters switch between different characters’ point-of-view – and that is often not a favorite style of mine to read. I think it takes real skill on the author’s part to lead us through those transitions between different characters and how we have visualized what is happening with them. If the transition happens too quickly, we feel jerked around and discombobulated; if it is too long between switches, we have a hard time transitioning back to the details of the characters. I think Lisa nailed those transitions pretty well with this book, and the multiple points-of-view really enhanced the story.

My favorite aspect of this book is that the characters that Lisa portrayed rang true-to-life for me. They were rich, with emotions and actions that were often contradictory. Like in real life – or at least in my life and the lives of my friends – their faith was not cookie-cutter, did not seem written out of some stereotype of “how a Christian should think and act”.

It was also very fun to see the echoes of some of the life situations that, through their blogs, I have read of Lisa and her family living through. This may have helped to lend an air of credulity to some of the scenarios for me.

The book takes a rather surprising turn mid-way through, that at first I was afraid would set off all my “I’m being emotionally manipulated here” bells. But as the novel went on, this situation really seemed to advance the story and definitely was not a “cookie-cutter” predictable scenario, and did not lead to an entirely predictable resolution.

More than just appreciating some of the literary techniques – I really liked that the story portrayed Christians who come from different backgrounds in their faith, who have made mistakes and who have to live through the consequences of those mistakes, who wrestle with their faith and their doubts, and who continue to pursue understanding God’s call and purpose for their lives well past early adulthood.

So I say a big "thank you" to Lisa Samson for writing a book that was a joy and an encouragement to read. I will be recommending it to my friends.