what we're reading wednesday: don't you forget about me

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a lovely blogger/author (Erin McCole Cupp) spreading the word about her new book, Don't You Forget About Me, which she described as a "Theology of the Body Murder Mystery." Naturally I was intrigued. I checked it out on Amazon, read the preview, and immediately bought the Kindle edition. And then read it in, um, two days.

The story starts with the main character, Cate, a successful-but-still-a-little-insecure author, about to head back to her hometown for the funeral of her old principal-- a place where her growing-up years were, shall we say, difficult. But the visit home, which starts out only as awkward as expected, takes a turn for the worse when strange things start happening, including a mysterious death. Cate and her grade-school crush, Gene (now an OB/GYN) find themselves investigating and getting drawn in deeper than might be good for them. What is the Curse of '87? How did Sister Thomas Marie really die?

This book was great because it worked on two levels. The "murder mystery" part can stand on its own as an exciting story with intrigue and unexpected twists. The characters are interesting and easy to identify with. But there are also interesting "theology of the body" questions brought up-- what happens to women (not just physically, but emotionally) who are put on contraceptives, even when it's for totally licit, non-contraceptive purposes? And why are such treatments so prevalent, even when there might be better options out there? The questions aren't answered in a trite way-- they aren't even really answered at all, but I think that's a good thing (especially for a novel). It's sometimes enough to just ask the questions. The great thing was that the "theology of the body" bits were woven into the story so that they didn't really seem at all unnatural or tacked-on.

Have I piqued your interest yet? Read some more reviews here, then go read the book! Plus-- guess what! There's a promotion running on the Kindle version through June 12... call me crazy, but I just clicked on the link and it looks like it's free (as in ZERO DOLLARS) for the moment!

Forgot to add this link at first... See what others are reading over at Housewifespice.