Straight Up is an older book, first published in 2006, which I picked up from a charity book sale last year. I bought it because it was cheap, and because the cover and book description intrigued me:
They are living lives they were never meant to live.
That’s a profound statement that didn’t seem relevant in the first part of the story but was key at the end (and while I loathe giving spoilers in a review, I don’t think commenting on the back cover constitutes a spoiler).
The way the author chose to show this was unusual, but it worked.
Did the author provide a solution to this problem? No, but that’s because the solution is going to look different for all of us. But it’s certainly an idea that got me thinking: Is this the life I was meant to live?
The novel is written in first person and present tense, from several points of view. The main character is Georgia Bishop, a talented jazz pianist, but it’s not just her story. It’s also the story of her cousin, interior designer Fairly Godfrey, their Uncle George, and a band of Christian misfits Fairly refers to as “the cult”.
Their intertwined stories form the basis of the novel, which is more about their individual character journeys than based on any kind of plot.
The other point of view character is Clarissa, who grows from a baby to a teenager over the period of the novel. It was never clear how she (or her mother, who got one or two scenes) fit into the novel and this subplot actually distracted me because I thought it was going to go in a completely different direction.
While the characters and story were interesting, they didn’t turn the cover from interesting into compelling until probably the last quarter of the novel. But the writing was compelling from the opening page, and that’s what kept me going even when I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening or how the characters were related.
I didn’t highlight any phrases because it was a paper book … and because if I started highlighting, there would be no way to stop. (Also, because a lot of the brilliant writing was brilliant in context. It doesn’t necessary translate to a simple quote meme).
The writing was literary and clever without being pretentious, and that’s a rare skill.
As such, I think this is a great book for writers to read—not for the plotting, not for the characterisation, not even for the theme. But for the lyrical writing that pulls the reader through the words.
Straight Up by Lisa Samson is a good story for anyone who enjoys Christian women’s fiction featuring messy characters living messy lives. #BookReview #ChristianFiction Click To TweetIt’s also a good story for anyone who enjoys Christian women’s fiction featuring messy characters living messy lives. Recommended.
About Lisa Samson
The Christy-award winning author of nineteen books including the Women of Faith Novel of the Year Quaker Summer, Lisa Samson has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as “a talented novelist who isn’t afraid to take risks.” She lives in Kentucky with her husband and three kids.
Find Lisa Samson online at:
About Straight Up
They are living lives they were never meant to live.
Georgia Bishop, a could-be jazz great, has thrown away her life, her marriage, and her talent for her drinking habit. Her cousin, Fairly Godfrey, is living the good life in New York but wonders if deeper meaning exists beyond the superficial world in which she finds herself.
It takes a Congo refugee, a soul food chef, a persistent husband, and one desperate night on the brink of freedom for Georgia and Fairly to realize how far they have come from their God-given purposes. When they face the most difficult choices of their lives, only the power of grace can bring them to true healing.
You can find Straight Up online at:
This was originally published in 2011, so you’re probably not going to be able to find a paper copy unless you’re in a second-hand bookstore or visiting a charity book sale (which is where I found my paper copy).
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