Follow the Love: In The Neighborhood of Normal Book Review

Post Author: Rev. Lydia Posselt

Earlier this summer, inside my Consecrate Box (a ministry subscription service for women in ministry), I received a discount code for the book In the Neighborhood of Normal* by Cindy Maddox. I was instantly hooked by the summary:the protagonist is an 82-year-old woman, when does that even happen? Days later, I received my copy and utterly fell in love with the feisty widow and active church lady, Mish Atkinson. The book begins as Mish buys her first-ever smartphone, and as she navigates texting for the first time, hilarity ensues. Through a series of coincidences, naivety, and an open heart, Mish’s new phone leads her to a mission from “Jesus,” much to the chagrin of her (gay, married!) pastor, who wonders a bit at her sanity. But Mish is undeterred. 

The Holy Spirit is truly at work in Mish’s life, and she finds purpose in helping the people she accidentally befriends along the way. Very big topics are tackled with delicacy, wit, and truth – relevant issues like abortion and access to reproductive health care; domestic violence and abuse; white supremacy; feminism; all in the innocent packaging of a (very accurately portrayed) small town and small church backdrop. 

While all the characters are compelling, I unsurprisingly most appreciated that Mish’s pastor is written as a human being, with his own struggles, doubts, and challenges. I resonated with his deep love for his “flock” while navigating his trepidation toward Mish’s new adventures. He asks the same questions we all ask: how does God work in our lives? Can God work even through text messages from the wrong number? 

I recently led a book discussion using this novel. The group ruminated on these very questions. I was cheered that my members enjoyed this book as much as I did as we rested with big questions inspired by this book, related to doubt, vocation, the agency of God in our lives, and more. 

Faith, God, and Technology

Together we marveled how we received so much from this book that truly defies categorization. My members appreciated that the author did not shy away from hard and relevant topics, but also balanced reality with levity and joy. My discussion group also gushed about how amazing it is to read about well-rounded but deeply flawed characters who took their faith seriously, reflected in a “mainstream” novel.  We lamented that all too often in media, people of faith are portrayed as  the villain of the story at worst, or in the “best” case scenarios as either  rigid and closed-minded or just plain dull. The novel disregarded those tropes with gusto! Mish is lively and funny and sweet, and while we agreed we might not make the same choices that she did, we all admired her spirit and dedication to following Jesus in her own way. 

As it turns out, I have my own mission from God, and from Mish: tell everyone about this book. This truly is a gem that I can only imperfectly describe as a mash-up of Gilead, A Man Called Ove, and The Vicar of Dibley.  As I told my members in our discussion group:  read it, share it, rate it, give it to all your friends, and watch everyone be won over by Mish and be challenged to “follow the love” as well.  

*This is an affiliate link. Your purchase of the book through this link will support YCWI.