_Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?_ by Rhoda Janzen
Quite some time ago, I read Rhoda Janzen’s first book _Mennonite in a Little Black Dress_ and was quite entertained. A former colleague, college-mate and friend of mine edited these books, so I always am interested in reading her edited novels. Also, since I had quite enjoyed the first one, I thought I’d go ahead and give this one a try.
The title is very catchy and Janzen still has a funny, sarcastic side to which I totally relate. However, like Elizabeth Gilbert’s second novel, _Committed_, I sensed a loss of the ‘newness’ in the author. It seemed a little too similar to the first and while I enjoyed the story and knowing there was growth in her life, it didn’t make me crack up or constantly engaged.
This one is about Janzen’s settling into a new relationship with a Christian man. Her boyfriend seems very open and loving, which differs from what she is used to from religious folk. So, she embraces his church and his beliefs because he models a calm and stable way even though their relationships non-traditional in terms of him being a single parent and their goals are not about the typical suburban lifestyle. In this sense, I related and enjoyed.
On the other hand, I wasn’t sure what her message was as I did in the first one. Maybe I wasn’t in the right frame of mind when I read it like I was before….
In any case, it is still a good and entertaining read. It doesn’t classify as a trash novel, even though I read back in the summertime, too!
-T π
