Quiver "I don't think my problem is with God. It's with the men who think they speak for Him and the women who obey those men without question."

Title: Quiver: a Novel

Author: Julia Watts


LGBTQ+ Representation: One of the main characters is queer and genderfluid. A supporting character is trans feminine.

Content Warning: Bigotry in the name of religion

What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Libby is growing up in a fundamental Christian family. As the oldest of six homeschooled siblings, she does chores and helps her mother during the day and participates in Bible study held by her father in the evenings. Queer and genderfluid Zo and her family have just moved into the house next door. Can (or should?) Libby and Zo be friends in spite of their differences?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer):  One of my favorite blogs, Love, Joy, and Feminism, is written by "Libby Anne," a former Christian fundamentalist from a Quiverfull family. I'm no longer religious myself but really enjoy reading stories and blogs about people leaving fundamentalism. I am very wary of any religion or lifestyle that adheres to very strict rules--how do they know that what they're doing is right, especially when others are left and hurt?

Quiver is told between the alternating voices of Libby and Zo. Libby has always followed the rules and believed her family's lifestyle is the only correct one, and Zo notes:

The way she talks, it's clear in her mind that there really are only two types of people--good with a capital G and bad with a capital B. . . but with most people, isn't it more complex than that? "So is my family on the list of bad people because we believe in different things?" (pg. 76).

And Libby, once she starts to question her beliefs of good and evil:

To know that Zo, who I've laughed with, talked with, eaten with, is something abnormal, an abomination in the eyes of God. But the strange thing is, she's never seemed like an abomination to me. She's never been anything other than nice . . . If she's faking it, she's a really good actress (pg. 189).

As you may have guessed, once Libby starts questioning one belief, the rest fall like a house of cards, but that is not the case for her whole family.

This book is on the 2019 Rainbow Book List.


My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer): I recommend Quiver for people who enjoy reading about fundamentalist religions (and also for those who want good comebacks to "love the sin, hate the sinner!"). Without being too spoiler-y, the book ends with a chapter that takes place "ten months later." I really wish that we had the story of what happens during those ten months! I wanted to read more. I am holding out for a sequel or even a bonus short story. 


Memorable quotes/passages from the book:

• "Maybe we could be like two sides of a vinyl record, not opposites so much as complementary" (pg. 52).
     
• "'Apparently you can't have a trans girl serving your fro yos.'
  'Well, I hear that kind of thing can be transferred through yogurt,' I say.
  'Yeah, it turns you into a fro-yo-sexual'" (pg. 79).
     
• "I know stuff she doesn't know because I live in the world. She lives on a small island" (pg. 131).
      
• "I don't think my problem is with God. It's with the men who think they speak for Him and the women who obey those men without question" (pg. 213).

Other reviews: Foreward Reviews and Book Reviews and More by Kathy


If you like this book, you should read Dress Codes for Small Towns, Our Own Private Universe, and One True Way.



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This book is available here: https://library.greensboro-nc.gov/

Learn more about the Rainbow Book List here: http://www.ala.org/rt/glbtrt