Selling the Lite of Heaven

Suzanne Strempek Shea

Many women have had their engagements ended by their fiances for another person. But the author of this book has been left for God. Her fiance, Eddie Balicki, left her to become a priest. Now, months after the breakup, she has decided to sell her engagement ring.

In her mother's eyes and the eyes of her community, Eddie may have been her last hope. She is 32 and still lives with her parents in her traditional Polish Catholic home. She works developing photographs at the local fast developing shop. She considers herself plain. She has one close friend her own age, Anna. She is what is known as a "good girl".

Now she narrates her stories. She tells the story of seeing Eddie again for the first time in years and their ensuing relationship. At the same time, she tells the story of her attempts to sell the engagement ring. In the relating of these stories, the reader learns about the traditional community and the characters who populate it. She also begins to learn more about herself.

This is a "slice of life" type novel narrated in first person. It is a glimpse into a life full of believed traditional values. She practices her Catholic faith and follows her parents leadings. The romance with Eddie is magical until the final ending that is revealed on the first page or two of the novel. The reader stays in the narrator's head, understanding the environment being described. The narrator is very clear in many sections, yet at other times glosses over parts, just the same as our normal memories. Shea, whom I believe has this same ethnic upbringing, makes our narrator believable.

The Best of Good by Sara Lewis