A unique interpretation of a childhood rhyme and the biblical seven sins coupled with brilliant writing made this book not only unusual but impossible to put down, too. A precocious 12 yr old, Angela, can see through the physical walls and psychological barriers that individuals of a small town neighborhood have so carefully erected around themselves. Each short interlocking story is in turns gripping, painful, and honest.
*Book description: From Arnie the dwarf, a compassionate phone company guy who struggles to heal his emotionally damaged wife; to Cora, the postal service mail sorter whose unlikely sexual awakening is triggered by a delivery of exotic orchids; to Hank, Angela’s father’s lover, who channels his self-loathing into bulimia, each luminous character in this thoroughly engaging novel-in-stories teaches Angela a lesson in the human condition. Drawing on the classic nursery rhyme about the seven days of the week, as well as the seven deadly sins, Ditchoff frames each household beautifully in its own particular pathos.