With the new millennium approaching, the eccentric town of Thebes grows even stranger. Mrs. Leontina Scales begins speaking in tongues after being clocked by a Catholic statuette. Her daughter, Tabitha, and her sons scheme to save their mother or surrender her to Jesus-whatever comes first. Meanwhile, choir director Jeremy Carr, caught between lust and ambition, fumbles his way toward Y2K. The ancient Sisters of the Sorrowful Mysteries join with a gay singing group. The Radical Radiants battle the Catholics. A Christmas pageant goes horribly awry. And a child is born.
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TO TABITHA'S REMARK that the town's first speed-trap camera was totally unfair and kind of kinky, Mrs. Scales replied, after a prayerful silence, 'Why don't you think of it as the Eye of God?' 1
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(@WmMorrowBooks, 1 January 2019, ebook, 418 pages, bought from @AmazonKindle)
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I enjoyed this book but I must confess I prefer the author's fantasy novels much better. This wasn't a patch on the Wicked books. I'm an atheist so the references to God, church and the bible left me a little cold but the book is well-written and engaging. I felt kinship to Tabitha much more than the other characters. She's a bit of a rebel and doesn't have much time for God or the church. The conflict between her and her almost zealous mother is very well written. I loved the way the author portrays life in the little town of Thebes and how everyone knows everyone's business and there are so many secrets and lies and conflict. This came across as very real. I kept reading the book because I wanted to know what happened to Leontina.
