Watch How We Walk/Jennifer Lovegrove This story paints a poignant picture of life growing up in a very religious household. It's told alternately about Emily around age 10 and age 20.I was initially confused about who the first person speaker was--if it was Emily, Lenora, or someone different. Once this was finally clarified, it was fascinating to watch her interactions with Lenora in the earlier sections. It was still a little disorienting.I love that the past sections of the story are told from Emily’s perspective. Emily being around ten, we get to see how Lenora might have viewed the religion growing up. Emily doesn’t quite understand the workings of the adult world and her naiveté really helps the story grow. She is quite intelligent for her age though, and seeing her choosing to ignore certain events that happen is very telling. The dialogue is all set off by dashes which I found frankly unnecessary. It gets confusing in segments because sometimes the speech is followed by tags or beats and it takes a moment to realize that something was an action and not speech. It’s also sometimes confusing to follow who is speaking to whom. The dashes feel gimicky. They do work in sections when Lenora speaks with herself--there they are hauntingly effective and feel like her natural thoughts, reflecting her mental state and the ways that she’s coping with the traumatic events of her childhood.This book paints a dark picture of the Jehovah’s Witness religion while not necessarily criticizing. This could be a very touchy topic; however, I think the addition of certain details provides some light for their actions. There’s at least some reasoning and humanity given to this character.Though the first/third person shifts are hard to follow at time and the speech in dashes is unnecessary and confusing, this story is powerful. ( )

The structure of this story is perfectly tuned to the narrative perspectives of the protagonist and the unfathomable ways families and communities can abuse and fail the vulnerable and unconformant.

Many thanks to the gr friend who recommended this - I wouldn't have come to this book on my own - this story immerses the reader in issues that create valuable sympathies.
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Set in the 1970s. The story is told through the eyes of a child who doesn’t fully understand her faith; father is weak and a tyrant. Some things are distorted (studying the WatchTower every meeting) and some are just downright wrong. Some problems are a result of dysfunctional family, not being Witnesses. For non-witnesses who can't distinguish which are which, the story can be grossly misleading. ( )

A quick but captivating read about a JW family and the secrets they hide -- and how the two daughters deal with the pressure, secrecy, and isolation. The story flips back and forth between Emily as a ten year old (or thereabouts) (told in third person) and as a young adult at university (told in first person). The mystery between the two stories slowly closes -- this is where the book wins points. The author gives enough hints to make you wonder and suspect but not know everything: a tricky balance that she pulls off effectively. Of course the content is not easy and would warrant trigger warnings (if you believe in such things), but it's worth the read anyway. ( )

"Please, God, please, make it all be a misunderstanding. I promise I'll never complain or disobey again. Please please please please. Please God, Jehovah, don't let anything else bad happen." (230-31)

Emily dreams of being a full-time pioneer when she grows up. But the only future she can imagine in her Jehovah’s Witness family, is one of knocking on doors and handing out Watchtower magazines. As Emily grows closer to her closeted uncle, Tyler, and to her older sister, Leonora, who is wearing makeup, sporting dyed hair, and associating with boys, she beings to seriously challenge her upbringing. Through tragic and unforgiveable circumstances, not only related to the Kingdom Hall and its elders, but perpetrated by them, Emily loses both her uncle and sister. Her mental anguish and fear is heartbreaking as she realizes she must choose a different future or face the same end:

"I pushed up my left sleeve. There was a bit of room left. I hadn't been etching as much since I'd started the tightrope training with Janice, but I needed it tonight. Things felt overwhelmingly out of control, and I was scared … I drew a half dozen Xs on the inside of my forearm, and felt better. One of them went a little deeper than I meant to, and blood dripped onto the floor. I tore off a wad of toilet paper and held it on my arm for a while. I felt much more poised." (275-76)

Watch How We Walk is LoveGrove’s stunning debut novel: a haunting, emotional look at an isolationist religion; and a cutting exploration of disfellowshipping, proselytization, as well as the Witnesses’ attitudes towards the “worldings” outside of their religion. By turns heartbreaking, tragic, and darkly humourous, this is a novel I could not put down. And young Emily is unforgettable. LoveGrove is a Canadian author to watch. Highly recommended. ( )