Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu

Seventeen-year-old Rachel has never worn pants, gone to public school, or had more than five dollars to call her own. Her family attends an extreme fundamentalist church and subscribes to the Quiverfull movement, so Rachel and her nine siblings live a life of strictly enforced obedience to their father and their church. Rachel really wants to be good, but she longs to read and study. She gets a sinking feeling in her stomach when she thinks about courtship, marriage, and the possibility that she might be married and pregnant within a year. And when her mother sinks into depression after a miscarriage, Rachel is frustrated and exhausted at being required to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for running the household. When rumors circulate that Lauren Sullivan, black sheep of the congregation, has returned to their small town, Rachel's curiosity is piqued. Why did Lauren leave? How has she managed to survive on her own? Using the family's ancient computer (purchased solely to help with the running of the family business), Rachel surreptitiously discovers Lauren's blog, and before long, the two are communicating. But what will happen if her father finds out?

This is a gripping read, alarming in its veracity -- though Rachel is fictional, her situation is real enough. Mathieu appears to have done a good bit of research, though she has not experienced life within that culture firsthand. I appreciated the way she showed Lauren and Rachel as people who embrace two different worldviews, but can still be close friends who work to understand each other. Also, the fact that Christianity and religion in general is not demonized because of the cult-like sect Rachel's family follows is a positive for me. There's a scene in the book where Rachel attends a mainline Protestant worship service and contrasts it with what she's always known, and I appreciated the nuanced treatment that the author gives religion.

My few small quibbles with the book involve the practicalities of life for Rachel in the later part of the book. I felt that some things came too simply or easily for her, both in terms of those practical details, and in the emotional realm. But altogether, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in realistic YA stories that examine various expressions of religion.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)