Sexual Abuse | Book Chatter

Oryx and Crake
By Margaret Atwood
Vintage, 2004, 400pp.

The Short of It:

You know when they say that books should make you feel things? Yeah. Oryx and Crake will definitely leave you feeling things.

The Rest of It:

*No Spoilers*

I purchased this book at least a decade ago. I started it a few times and couldn’t get into it, but then a group of us online picked it as a book club pick, and so I looked for my copy, found it (amazing given the pile of books I have) and dove in.

I’ll be careful not to give much away because most of what you feel while reading it, is shock and dismay that such things can exist, and actually do today.

Atwood describes a bleak world. There is the before, and then there is the after. As a reader, you get a glimpse of how we got here but there is much left to the imagination as to what prompted it all. Dystopian worlds are bleak and lifeless but with Oryx and Crake, the story is teeming with life but in the most disturbing way.

Animals are hybrids. For example, Raccoons and Skunks become their own breed. Pigs? Something else entirely. People, aka humanoids, run around without clothing as there is no need for it. Food is scarce. But just like now, there are the HAVES and the HAVE NOTS. The Haves are pulling the strings and everything in this story is Biblical in nature.

Think Adam and Eve and the serpent.

Oryx and Crake is part of a trilogy which includes The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam. This book was a tough read. It was hard on my soul. Not just because of the times we are living in, but because the subject matter is delicate and that is why I will include a trigger warning here for sexual content because Atwood does not handle it in a delicate way. It’s front and center, in your face. I had to put the book down a few times but since it was a group read, I kept going.

Atwood called this story a “romance” and that just blows my mind.

Will I read the others in the trilogy? Probably, yes. Because as numb as we can all be to the nonsense of this world, you have to feel things now and then to know that you are still here.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

All My Knotted-Up Life
By Beth Moore
Published by Tyndale, 9781496472670, Feb 2023, 300pp.

The Short of It:

Heartfelt and honest.

The Rest of It:

Beth Moore might be a household name or she might be completely unknown to you. Either way, you will be completely charmed by All My Knotted-Up Life.

Beth shares her childhood with us, and includes the painful mention of abuse suffered at the hands of her father. But she does it in THE MOST gentle way. No surprises. As she shares her faith walk with us, this part of her story had to be shared because it shaped who she came to be as a Southern Baptist who eventually walked away from the church. Anyone who has ever struggled with their faith, and fell out of love with their church will be able to relate to Beth’s struggle.

As Beth found her footing, by creating Living Proof Ministries, other areas of her life began to fall apart. Mainly, the precarious health of her dear husband and how that affected the entire family. What felt like trial after trial is what brought both of them closer to God.

I want you to know, that you will find comfort in this memoir if you call yourself a Christian, but you will also find parts of it absolutely charming even if you’re not. The stories that Beth shares about her grandparents and siblings bring to mind simpler, happier times and I wanted to sit in that moment for a long while which it why it took me so long to read the book!

This book manages to be pure charm, mixed with weightier topics. Thoroughly enjoyed it and shed a tear or two. Beth knows how to share a story.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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