This new Netflix movie from a novel by Emma Donoghue focuses on the heartbreaking practice in the 19th century of young girls starving themselves in hopes of attaining atonement. Parents and religious leaders saw this as proof that their beliefs were so powerful that sacrifice was acceptable. Unfortunately, religious fervor continues to drive people to infuriatingly painful decisions. This film is well made with beautiful cinematography and stunning performances. Well worth your time and attention.
This is an evocative, touching book. I grew up in Tennessee just a ways down the road from the hard-luck main character, Skid, offset by just a few years. Randy O’Brien knows the 70s in the South – what’s going on, the shifting attitudes, politics, being poor, and what it’s like to be a kid who’s good at some things but not others. Through the tumult of young love, misfortune and downright unfairness, Skid struggles to do the right thing – sometimes succeeding and sometimes not – while wrestling with the wild emotion of youth and self-discovery. It all builds to a climax that breaks your heart even as it holds out a bit of hope. I recommend it.
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