Can I Get an Amen?

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www.sarah-healy.com

Can I Get an Amen?
Sarah Healy
2012

The Summary
Filled with both tragedy and comedy, Sarah Healy's novel tells the story of Ellen Carlisle - a recently divorced former career-woman struggling to get her life back on track and deal with her infertility and growing despair - and her family as they all struggle to acclimate with changing circumstances and familial rifts.

Although Can I Get an Amen? deals with the question of religion, it isn't about finding religion or becoming a born-again Christian.  It's about coming to terms with the flaws of family and the looming questions about faith, love, and life.

The Good
Ellen is a witty and charismatic narrator, a relatable character with understandable problems and conventional wisdom, but she's also damaged, flawed, and, on occasion, mistaken.  She provides Can I Get an Amen? with an emotional depth and distinctly human voice that makes Healy's novel incredibly appealing on a personal level.

In general, Healy also presents a concise and well-written story with an appropriate amount of suspense, a touch of tragedy, a helping of romance, and a cast of enjoyable characters.

Can I Get an Amen? is also a fulfilling novel.  Although we aren't exactly told what happens with the rest of Ellen's life once we reach the final chapter, it's difficult to leave Ellen's story and not feel a bit optimistic.

The Bad
In Healy's novel, you'll find some strong language and "mature themes."  Grief, infertility, and attempted suicide come to mind; teen pregnancy and abortion, too.

You'll find nothing gratuitously graphic in Can I Get an Amen?, but you'll be confronted by topics that are sometimes difficult to face.  Topics that leave Ellen wanting to run away - and, sometimes, you can't help but want to join her.

The Ugly
Perhaps one of the ugliest elements of this book is the faint traces of tragedy that link this family.  In general, it's difficult to watch these characters - these people so easy to understand and relate to - simply sweep trouble under the rug, hide from scandal at the expense of their loved ones, and, in general make the usual mistakes that human beings tend to make over the course of a lifetime.

And reconciliation may not be an option.