Closure, by Lindsey Todd (Veritas Words 2020), brings a story of sin and conversion, faith and love, to the contemporary book scene. The story is written as a love letter from Morgan, a young Catholic woman, to Wade, her ex-boyfriend. In this letter, Morgan walks through the years of their romantic relationship and ponders what eventually caused their break-up.
As Morgan presents scenes from her teenage and young adult years, I was struck by how real this story felt. From movie dates to pool parties to Facebook posts, the concerns and events in Morgan’s life are those of countless teenage girls. When she and Wade begin to date, their relationship is just like the relationships that spring up in high schools across the country. Yet, what begins rather innocently eventually spirals into a very physical intimacy. I appreciate how this novel reveals just how easily two people can slip into a relationship that is focused on sexual gratification. I’m sure that many teenage girls, Catholic and non-Catholic, could relate to the struggles of Morgan. This story very clearly illustrates the struggle with sin, and how struggling with impurity and striving for chastity can be a slow, and difficult process.
While it was refreshing to see Morgan ultimately choose to leave a sinful, toxic relationship, I did want to see more of her experiences in Catholic settings. While there are a few scenes where Morgan relates the struggle of sitting in Mass and wrestling with her impure relationship, it seemed like the majority of the scenes in the second half of the book revolved around parties or the bedroom. Towards the end of the novel, she mentions her college’s Newman Center and attending a Bible study; I would have liked to read a little bit more about Morgan’s experiences with the Newman Center, to see the new relationships she was building and to observe how they differed from her relationship with Wade. Also, while I often read books that include mature themes, some of the sex scenes in this novel were a bit more descriptive than I prefer.
I believe that Closure technically fits into the New Adult genre, but the tone of this book made it feel more like a novel geared towards those who enjoy YA romance novels. Closure was an interesting read, and I commend the author on her work to bring the light of Christ into this genre of literature!
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Thanks for the review! I'm always looking for Catholic/Christian YA fiction!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this could be helpful for you!
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