Inadvertently, I read two books with similar occupations and the problems inherent in them. Both An Academic Affair, by Jodi McAlister, and The Wedding People, by Alison Espach, rely on literature academics where the spouse is a partner hire. Something I learned from both books is that the world of academia is brutal: low pay, misogynistic, and exploitive. McAlister's book is a romance, and Espach's is closer to literary fiction: read "serious" fiction, but it contains Romance and has a dark, comedic side. People who dismiss romance books as unserious aren't reading too closely. For a book to be interesting, big problems must arise and be addressed. I've read more about abuse by domestic partners, by narcissistic parents, bosses, or siblings, loss of fortune, and infertility in Romance than anywhere else. In Romance, I know the main character will usually overcome, often with the support of someone who truly loves them. The ending is a happy one. With literary fiction, there is always a maybe-yes, maybe-no tension.
Both books were great. Wedding People advocated for saying the hard, impossible thing, much like a therapist would. It has a therapeutic quality. Those who face their genuine fears come out better than those who hold them in. The plot is funny, and like watching a rolling dumpster fire, entertaining.
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My Bible Study leader did a study on Philemon and drew from A Companion to Philemon by Lewis Brogdon. It was so interesting and engendered such good discussions that I wanted to read the book for myself. A criticism of Paul, and the New Testament in general, is that it never outright condemns slavery. I find a close reading of the Bible reveals God freeing slaves over and over. The book of Exodus was removed from the approved "Slave Bible" for that reason. God wants the enslaved to be free. He also wants to free the enslaver. Philemon has been used to perpetuate and defend slavery, and Brogdon's book helped me understand how subversively Paul worked to dismantle the gulf between slave and master. Paul didn't address the book only to Philemon, but also to every church in the region, to Philemon's household, and to the church that met there. Paul's request was that Philemon receive Onesimus, his runaway slave, as he would Paul himself, as an equal, beloved fellow believer. Slavery needs me-before-you hardness to endure. The book of Philemon endorses radical change for everyone through the love of Christ.
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I like T. Kingfisher. Raven and the Reindeer is a queer love story with supernatural elements. The plot is strong, and the action is fascinating. I like the characters' growth arcs. Vernon can be counted on to take a turn that is surprising and unexpected, to create an unlikely group of companions to tackle an impossible challenge, and to unexpectedly find love. It's a good formula, and Vernon works it well.
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Other T. Kingfisher books I've reviewed: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=T.+Kingfisher
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