The Girl Who Slept with God

A Novel

By: Val Brelinski

Narrated by: Abby Craden

Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

For Fans of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You and Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings, an entrancing literary debut about religion, science, secrets, and the power and burden of family from recent Wallace Stegner Fellow Val Brelinski.

Set in Arco, Idaho, in 1970, Val Brelinski’s powerfully affecting first novel tells the story of three sisters: Young Frances, gregarious and strong-willed Jory, and moral-minded Grace. Their father, Oren, is a respected member of the community and science professor at the local college. Yet their mother’s depression and Grace’s religious fervor threaten the seemingly perfect family, whose world is upended when Grace returns from a missionary trip to Mexico and discovers she’s pregnant with - she believes - the child of God.

Distraught, Oren sends Jory and Grace to an isolated home at the edge of the town. There, they prepare for the much-awaited arrival of the baby while building a makeshift family that includes an elderly eccentric neighbor and a tattooed social outcast who drives an ice cream truck.

The Girl Who Slept with God is a literary achievement about a family’s desperate need for truth, love, purity, and redemption.

©2015 Val Brelinski (P)2015 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A revelation.” (Vanity Fair)

“Fine, carefully wrought...reading this novel [is] a heartening experience.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Brelinski’s page-turning debut is full of humor, insight, and imaginative sympathy. Think of it as the annunciation of a new talent.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Great Story, Awful Narration

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The narration of this book was absolutely terrible. Almost every sentence was ended with a lowering of her voice while frequently making a croaking sound with each word. The inflection during certain parts of the story was to severe or harsh for what I felt the author was trying to convey, especially when characters spoke. The slow speed was excruciating to listen to. I had to listen at 1.5x -- and even then some parts were slow.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jory was definitely the best character. The story was a fantastic read. A coming-of-age in which the main character realizes that life isn't what she thought, that the world isn't as she perceived it - as her parents would have liked her to, have taught her to - and how she continually (and eventually) deals with these revelations.

Any additional comments?

I probably would have enjoyed a physical copy more than this audiobook.

A family tragedy

Well written, excellent narration, and a story that focuses on character and plot. There is a feeling of impending disaster from the beginning. Wonderful but flawed characters.

Wow

Written with a big heart but a scalpel too. Strikes hard at the questions of faith, family, and forgiveness. Did the author really write a Dostoyevsky Grand Inquisitor scene between a tweener girl and a druggie ice cream man? This book is impressive on many levels. Recommended without reservations.

unique story

i found the title not really an accurate one as Jory is main character not Grace. the descriptions are wonderful and so is character development. definitely worth it.

Slow reading and unusual story

The reader was very slow and the story seemed to drag at points. I appreciated the reminder of what it was like to see the world through 14 year old eyes. So glad I don't have to live her life!