Jennifer Mathieu

by Jennifer Mathieu

From Jennifer Mathieu, the author of The Truth About Alice comes a novel about the courage to believe and what it means to be truly devoted.

Rachel Walker is devoted to God. She prays every day, attends Calvary Christian Church with her family, helps care for her five younger siblings, dresses modestly, and prepares herself to be a wife and mother who serves the Lord with joy. But Rachel is curious about the world her family has turned away from, and increasingly finds that neither the church nor her homeschool education has the answers she craves. Rachel has always found solace in her beliefs, but now she can't shake the feeling that her devotion might destroy her soul.

• ISBN10: 1596439114
• ISBN13: 9781596439115
• Publish Date: 2 June 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 1 November 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Imprint: First Second
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[shannonmiz]

This book was amazing. I am always so fascinated by a religious cult situation, and while the Walker family may not be in a cult in the typical sense of the word, they are clearly not in a healthy situation. The girls are treated as second class citizens, only existing to do stuff for the men and make babies. Rachel doesn’t even have much of an education, just enough so that she can teach her younger siblings. All the people in the church are kept as sheltered as possible from the outside world, and if they dare try to forge their own path, they’re sent to a creepy “rehabilitation” (read: Brainwashing) camp.

Rachel has heard stories of people being sent away to this camp, and has witnessed them coming back as shells of their former selves. She’s also heard that a girl a bit older than her who had left the church has recently come back to town, and her curiosity is piqued. Rachel isn’t sure what she wants or should want out of life, but she does know that being a subservient baby maker isn’t it.

This book is hard to read, in the sense that you are left wanting to punch fictional characters and can’t. This “church” treats its congregation abysmally, stigmatizes mental health issues, and basically tries to paralyze the members into submission. The families are all quite poor, since they not only try to keep away from the outside world, but have gaggles of children to care for. When Rachel wants to read a book, she is caught and has to destroy it. It’s all so painful to read about, but I was so invested in her story, there was no way I was turning away.

It’s hard to say a lot about this book for fear of spoilers, but I will say that the most amazing thing about it is that religion is not vilified in any way. There are some lovely examples of religious groups that are so kind and wonderful, and the author is so careful to show that it is not all religions that are the problem, just this particular group of extremists. I am not religious myself, but I feel that people who are will really appreciate the tone of the book. It is also not at all preachy, it is about having the right to make your own choices and to live your own life. It’s about kindness and love and family and friendship. There is a beautiful poem that is referenced many times during the story, in the best of places. I am not going to share it, because reading it in context is much better.

Bottom Line: This book is fabulous. The characters, even the ones you won’t like, seem so incredibly real. I was so mad, so sad for Rachel and felt like she was a friend. The growth of some of the characters is overwhelming, and the fact that there are some who don’t grow makes it so realistic. This book was an absolute win.

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I am completely drawn to books like Devoted, where religion is examined from a "real life" perspective rather than an academic one. I'm agnostic, but grew up in a Christian school where essentially everything was evil in some way. It was by no means even close to what Rachel is living though. She's not even allowed to go to school. She was homeschooled, but now she just helps her younger siblings, since her mother won't order her more advanced lessons (what does a housewife need with math and chemistry?!). But life is changing for Rachel as she starts questioning what her church preaches and what she actually wants out of life.

Devoted was kind of scary. Rachel's community could be described as being full of religious fanatics. Every single, little thing is about God. No one seems to have thoughts of their own. I swear they have conversations just using Bible verses. No one discusses feelings or their problems. Just recite some scripture and move on! It's no wonder Rachel is so confused. I felt sooo sad for her! She has no one to go to for answers, because she knows if she asks the questions she'll be judged, preached at, and possible sent to Journey of Faith (Christian work/brainwash camp). The only person Rachel feels comfortable talking to is Lauren, a girl who one day walked out and didn't return for six years. It's Lauren who ultimately saves Rachel from her oppressive community and from herself.

I really don't know what else I can say about Devoted. Rachel's story was sad, but in the end it was very hopeful. I also liked that the author had Rachel remain religious (as opposed to Lauren who scoffs at it all). She just found a new way to connect with God. The community she grew up in believed there was only one way to be Christian, which was their way. There are so many ways to serve God, or be religious in general, so that hive mentality is scary and sad. I'm just glad Rachel was able to get out of there and discover her true self, while holding onto the pieces of home that did work for her.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.