Ruth is the teacher of the title - she gets into trouble for veering away from the conservative curriculum and informing her students that some people like having sex. Tim is a born-again Christian, part of the Tabernacle church, and he is struggling with his history of drink, drugs and sex. The book follows the pair as they go about their lives in modern America, with their lives intersecting at a soccer game...
I admit that I picked this book up due to the funky design of the cover, which for some reason features a cheerleader shown from waist down - not once is there such a character in the book. I also picked this up because the premise and title promised much, I figured this would be a satire on the state of sex education in the US, along with a swipe at the religious right. I was partly correct. Perrotta's prose is enjoyable, he skillfully unpeels the characters of Ruth and Tim in alternate chapters by revealing their histories in non-chronological flashbacks, detailing their failed marriages, parenting skills and personal demons. Ruth is the more interesting character initially, and when the novel moved to Tim I was a bit disappointed, but his struggles with religion and the honest way he deals with the subject is thought-provoking. Perrotta does not deal with stereotypes, even the supporting characters, such as Pastor Dennis, have doubts about their place in life. This is a skillful and two-sided look at the state of modern America, with particular focus on education and religion, always contentious issues in some parts of the world. There's a good vein of humour running throughout the book, and I really liked the gay librarian character who has issues with proposing to his boyfriend - I identified very much with this relationship!
but...
As I said above, I picked up this book expecting something I didn't receive, so I was a touch disappointed that the satire wasn't as biting as I'd hoped. Instead though, the book has much more depth and was not as trashy as the cover would suggest. I really should learn about judging a book by its cover! Without the P.S. interview with Perrotta at the back of the book I think I would've enjoyed the book less - so much of the commentary on modern life was subtext I think I missed some, but that's my failing not the book's.
briefly...
A readable character study that provides food for thought.
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