Arousing Love: A Teen Novel (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
One star is too generous. This book quite literally makes me sick. I wouldn't have been able to finish if it hadn't been in an audiobook. Let's examine for a moment what the "about" had to say about this:When 18 year old local boy, Zach, meets Joanna camping near his beach it is almost love at first sight until he finds out she's only 15. He knows she's too young but he has never felt like this about anybody before. She's sexy and sweet and flirty and free and the most beautiful girl Zach has ever known. Joanna is swept away by her feelings for Zach as they grow increasingly passionate with each other. It's like God has whispered in her heart Zach is the one for her. Can it be true love when you're only 15?Right, so I read this and think... Okay so a teen summer love story with an age gap as the central issue between them. Sounds like a fluff novel. Nothing fantastic or inspirational, but enjoyable chick flick nonsense. I can totally get down with that.Well Zach meets Joanna within the first chapter and this age difference comes to light pretty much instantly. This kinda breaks code of the aforementioned genre, but sure, blunt/direct to the point has some potential. I'm intrigued.The first date (before the parents are involved) goes well, its fun flirty and there is even a little bit of action. And then it all goes down hill from there.You see, Joanna has some horribly fundamentalist christian parents. Ohh yeah they did mention God in the "about" now that you remind me... I would say that without exaggerating 1/3 of the book is M.H. Strom getting on that soap box and unabashedly preaching a particular set of fundamentalist beliefs about marriage and sexuality. The things that bother me the most is the fact that this father actually offers a bride price for Joanna. Yes. A bride price you didn't read that wrong. This father is giving Joanna (a person, not a toaster) to Zach. That's how it's worded like she's property. And everyone is okay with it... except her mom who only has a problem with how young Joanna is not the overall concept of giving your daughter away. You're probably wondering what the bride price was... (I really wanted the dad to request a certain number of sheep and oxen, because then I would know this book is satire) The bride price is that nothing sexual goes on before the date of their marriage (when Joanna turns 17). What constitutes as sexual? Well the mom, dad, Zach & Joanna all sit down and have a nice chat about it. Yes they actually talk about it.The worst part is that they actually reference Jacob from Genesis and his love for Rachel. It's a charming story... you know the one where Jacob is running from his brother who wants to kill him and so he goes to his uncle's house and then works for 7 years in the fields to marry his first cousin Rachel, but the father gives him Rachel's older sister (Leah). Those two have sex and then the next day Jacob goes up to his uncle and says... now wait a wee minute I think you gave me the wrong girl.So then he works another 7 years for his second wife, Rachel, who if I may remind you is also his first cousin. Of course they don't reference any of that shit. They just say how Jacob's love made the seven years of work feel like only a few days. What a nice cafeteria you get your Christianity from...This book is basically a very strong effort to combine fundamentalist Christian beliefs with the modern world where certain restrictions such as being 18 years old and getting out of high school actually hold some importance. The only time our culture is inserted to Christianity is when the old testament ways would be particularly appalling to a modern reader. Once again, I make my cafeteria comment.So backtracking for a bit. Let's talk about Zach as a character. At the beginning I really like the guy. He's a talented artist, goes surfing, works at his dad's shop, is learning the guitar, and seems to be an agnostic. However, his agnosticism isn't due to apathy. It's really because he seems to get that Christians more often than not... suck at acting Christian. Joanna is as you might expect, completely brainwashed by her upbringing. "You would be the prefect man for me if you were a Christian." These words said from the girl who on her own accord on the second day they met, took a shower in Zach's room and then walked out with nothing more than a towel. She is someone who had no problem posing nude for Zach to paint, someone who was really more than okay with having sex on the beach or in his room or in her tent (even though they never actually went through with it she still really pushed for it). Someone who would wear skimpy nighties and low cut dresses. Look, I'm not going to say there is anything wrong with those things, but quit fooling yourself little miss "I'm a good Christian girl"So does Zach talk some reason into Joanna? No he get's brainwashed into the whole mess. The kid practically turns into a monk. It almost takes no convincing on his end. I've been there. I've fallen for a religious girl before, and even I didn't throw away my values so readily and so completely (and I did actually throw away some of my values so I believe I have a right to criticize). This book could have been a beacon of hope, a shining emblem for reason. Instead it was a book filled with religious dribble. Half spouted by the narrator (Zach) and the rest by Joanna's dad.I remember thinking to myself multiple times "please just let her fuck some sense into you" Yeah, you know it's bad when I'm rooting for the under-aged 15 year old to screw the brainwashed older guy. When I walked into this book, I really expected to have the exact opposite reaction during the "we're almost having sex" scenes that come hand and hand with this genre.There is drama about going to college. Pleas God if I get into one of these colleges I will take it as a sign that you want Joanna and I to be together (she lives in Colorado). He applies to four colleges and gets rejection letters from them all. His faith in God is tested, and then there is a letter in the mail which says: Just kidding, there is this full ride scholarship to the college in your girlfriends town and all you have to do is come to this interview. Can it be set for the day of her 16th birthday? Is campus within walking distance of her house? Well yeah...because that is how real life works.The worst character in all of this is the Dad. If he were a real person, I would slap him. He has no business being a parent. I almost want to recommend this book as an instruction manual for how not to treat your teenage daughter in her relationships and furthermore how not to be a teenager in a relationship. This is, pardon my language, fucked up.Read only as satire or to work on controlling your gag reflex.Good Luck I normally can find something redeemable about any book but then I read "Arousing Love" and I cannot do anything else but say other than the cute picture on the cover, there is nothing that is worth opening the cover for. There are many things I did not like about this book. The first is, it just was not written well. The dialogue was cheesy and cliche. There was absolutely no character development. The plot was completely predicable. I am sorry to say, but this goes down as one of the worst Christian fiction novel's I have ever read and I have read my far share.Then there is the Christian aspect of the book. It is not okay to talk about God and how you love Jesus in one paragraph and literally the next sentence have graphic sexual scenes. This is suppose to be a"teen" novel, and I don't think a 13 year old should be reading this! I get that the author may have been trying to be more real with the characters with their struggles and that is fine. I actually like when Christians are portrayed in a real way but this author went way too far. Also, no parent after finding out that an 18 year old was fooling around with their 15 year old daughter would let him alone with her EVER!And speaking of the parents: they are weak and not likable. The only scene I did like was the one when the dad went to talk with Zach. Other than that, I did not like either set of parents. The concept of the story actually had potential but fell so flat. I finished this book, only out of sheer determination of not wanting to leave something undone. I wanted to throw this book across the room on numerous occasions.
What do You think about Arousing Love: A Teen Novel (2009)?
Preaching Christianity in the form of love, romance & sex!!!
—Becca
my fav book thats it i don't need to say something else
—Bria
