May 19, 2010

Bad fiction, life lessons

So, this was bound to happen. I blog for two days in a row and then the third day happens and I'm in a total funk. I personally like to blog when I'm in a GOOD mood ( either that or I like to blog when I'm in a self-righteous rage...because those rants are usually comic gold later on. But anyways). However, I am in in neither today.

But, since we're here and I made a "commitment" to writing and all...I figured I'd write something.

So, here's a little story for you. A little while ago I read some really ( seriously, really) bad Christian fiction that had been recommended to me by a dear friend. It was a series of books ( well, there were two, which I guess counts as a series these days) and I got through the first one only by shear will power. It was SO badly written and so cheesy that I felt continually insulted by the author. As though he was laughing at me as he wrote saying things like, "Mmmwwwhahha! Abigail will waste perfectly good hours of her perfectly good day in reading this particular book-I should make it EXTRA bad! I will add MORE superlatives and more cheesy predictable plot "twists"

Anyway, I finished that first book ( because I'm a FINISHER PEOPLE! THAT'S RIGHT!) and I was bemoaning to Brett about the second book that I was now going to have to read and he made the most amazing suggestion:
DON'T READ IT!!

And I said, "But, what if our friend asks me what I think?!?! I mean, should I tell her that I hated the first one SO MUCH that I didn't read the second one?!?! What will she think of me?!?"

And to prove his point ( that I should NOT base any friendship on bad fiction), Brett read the back of the second book aloud to me.

Now, its been a little while since I've looked at these books and to be totally honest I "lost them" in a move several moves back so I sadly cannot give you an exact quote...but here's the gist of what the little synopsis on the back cover said:

We rejoin our heroine, Rachel in her first year of marriage to the dashing ( add some other insipid descriptors here) Robert-however their married bliss is cut short when Robert looses his professorship at the university because of his faith ( does that even HAPPEN?) just when Rachel realizes that they are expecting their first child....( it went on for a while talking about the different troubles they face) and then here comes the CRUNCHER: the last line, the line that's suppose to hook me into reading the book...the big question that we want the author to answer by writing this book is..."WILL God provide for Rachel and Robert?! Read this harrowing book to find out!

Anyway...it was bad. And Brett and I sat on the couch for ages laughing at the line "WILL God provide?!" and whoever was the creative genius who thought THAT was a good cliff hanger! I mean, OBVIOUSLY God would provide and so...thankfully, I did not have to put myself through the torment of reading this bad piece of fiction-

But, one good thing came from all that....every so often when comic relief is needed Brett or I will bust out with a little "WILL God provide?!" in a good movie trailer voice. And then we laugh.

But you know what, sometimes, we as Christians DO seem to think that that is a legit cliffhanger for our lives! We start to actually wonder if, when we reach the final chapters, God will actually pull through. And yet, ultimately I should laugh. I should laugh when Brett and I both get furrowed brows in regards to our futures. And right now we're faced with a whole lot of whatifs and waitandsees. I feel like every day when Brett comes home from work he has more and more weight sitting on his shoulders as he gets closer to the end of his current course and faces a whole lot of uncertainty in the future. But, tonight as I sit here pondering it all I am reminded of that cheesy line and how I don't have to read the book to be certain of the answer for us. I know that at the end of the Brett and Abigail chapters there will be a big, "And God provided."

4 comments:

Lindsay said...

This is a great reminder and encouragement. Thanks for sharing!

Stacey said...

Amen. Loved the point of that post!
And sorry bout the bad Christian fiction. Even though I may regret this later when you write a post about my reading suggestion I'm about to make I'll go head and post anyway. I'm currently reading a series based on the story of jacob and the setting is scotland. It's fabulous! Seriously. First book is called thorn in my heart and it's by lynn curtis higgs. I highly recommend it.

Tabitha said...

Please please tell me it wasn't me who recommended that book. If it was, I am going to plead brain malfunction and apologize profusely. Good lesson though.

Katie Wright said...

As I was reading your post I was wondering if it was me who recommended the book. As you said "several moves ago" I felt it was probably a safe distance from me! ha ha - But I did like twilight...