Likened to Andrea Ashworth's Once In A House On Fire or Augusten Burrough's Running With Scissors, Julia Scheere's heartfelt memoir is dedicated to her twin brother David, and is the desperate and evocative tale of a black brother and white sister growing up during the 1970s in the fundamentalist Christian state of rural Indiana.
The teenagers are both social pariahs and Julia's faithful relationship with David makes her somewhat of an outcast too. They have to endure and deal with the normal insecurities of growing up, whilst living in an emotionally barren house where the realities of life are drowned out by the constant background noise of Rejoice Radio.
The story takes a vicious turn when both David, then later Julia, are sent to a Christian boot camp in the Dominican Republic. Escuela Caribe is the worst sort of institution the young people there are brutally disciplined and mistreated, all in the name of so-called repentance before God.
Another Hour On A Sunday Morning, is a real-page-turner. It is collectively horrifying, funny and unnerving. The narrative is carefully intertwined with details about the author's relationship with David and the role her brother plays in her life.
It is Scheeres' sparkling spirit in the face of adversity that remains long after the last page is turned.
Georgina Rodgers
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