Title: The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pro-Feminist Content: ★ ★ ★ ★
Rage-Induction: >:(
If you already didn't know, as a Hindu-raised person with a bachelor's in a science field, I'm not really the type who likes to be in the company of Bible-thumpers.
So it was with much trepidation that I picked up Donna Freita's The Possibilities of Sainthood. And I'll be honest: only my vulgar curiosity about freaks and the book cover drew me to it. I initially mistook the olive-skinned, curly-haired brunette to be a Latina Catholic. This was part racism (Latino culture and the Catholic Church are inseparable in my mind) and because the cover model is wearing a lace mantilla (or other lace item) over her shoulders. Alas, I should have known the actual character would be white Italian, since white girls are the only ones allowed to show their faces on the front covers.
The first chapter made me wonder if I had accidentally picked up a middle-grade book since the protagonist's (Antonia) voice was jarringly juvenile. The second chapter is where Antonia finally gained a voice--and a hilarious, observant one at that. She describes her attempts at Catholic uniform modification that private school girls still practice. She is unphased by her mother's complaints that she looks like a "puttana" and "streetwalker" (pg 12) exposing her bare legs in her uniform. Freitas pulls off this exchange very well; I do not want to yell at the mother for her anti-feminist remarks, nor do I roll my eyes at Antonia's adolescent urge to look sexy. It might be the fact that I can clearly imagine this scene occurring in all recent immigrant families, including my own if I decided to trade my "feminazi" togs for something more club-appropriate.
Antonia has two goals in her life: become the world's first living saint and to get her first kiss from Andy Rotellini, the hottest senior at the affiliated boys Catholic school next to Holy Angels (Antonia's school).
Her obsessions are apparent throughout the entire book. I've learned a lot more about saints and the Catholic church through this YA novel than I did through two stints at Bible camp (yes, even though I am a Hindu) and my yearlong "I Live My Faith: Catholicism" program in which I participated while I was a Girl Scout.
The book takes place during Antonia's Fig Campaign, during which Antonia suggests (via post and email) that the Vatican nominate her as the Saint for Figs and Fig Trees. As Antonia is responsible for tending the fig trees in front of her family's store, it figures they become a prominent symbol. Fig trees were first mentioned in the Bible when Adam and Eve used the leaves to cover their nakedness. Likewise, Antonia mentions that fig trees are difficult to bury (they must be buried in winter so that they don't die before spring), yet in order to blossom, they must first hide. Likewise, Antonia is almost kept hidden by her mother's strict rules, yet we see by the end that she too can blossom.
The second obsession comes to light in several hilarious passages, including the following:
"Anyway, I sat there, blushing but trying to look cool, glancing through the Glory and Praise to our God songbook, while at the same time I wanted to shout, 'TAKE ME NOW, ANDY! I don't care if Father Bernardino is transubstantiating the bread and the wine!'" (pg 159)
Antonia's relationships with others highlight both how flawed and how realistic she is; she truly is a character to root for. Antonia makes it clear she loves her mom, even though she is overprotective. It's a nice change from the Parents-Don't-Exist phenomenon of Twilight/Shiver/Crescendo. One minor gripe: her father's death is dealt with such a short, "Yeah, it was pretty devastating" (pg 37) that I reread it thrice and wondered if she was being sarcastic. The fact that Antonia's grandmother may be experiencing significant dementia is glossed over as well, but this is YA and I'm not expecting that much exploration of characters in such a short novel.
Happily, there are several moments where we learn that Antonia isn't completely self-centered like some YA characters are. She is kind to children, regrets her harsh rebuffing of her friend Michael, and is sympathetic and empathetic toward the crippled widow Mrs. Bevelaqua. And, though Maria is her BFF, she still pals around with other girls her age such as Lila, when other YA protagonists (i.e. Bella Swan) would have dismissed girls like Lila as airheaded.
As per YA requirements, there is a Mean Girl antagonist. This comes in the form of her cousin Veronica; Antonia is quite insightful and pegs Veronica's motivations as stemming from resentment over a family dispute over the store and as jealousy left over from childhood when Antonia and Maria started getting closer. It is kind of refreshing to see a family nemesis that doesn't get redeemed in the end; there is no love lost at the end of the novel when Antonia seethes at Veronica and tells her cousin that she'll exact her revenge.
And of course, there is a love triangle. Antonia has her sights set on Andy, but Antonia has an admirer in Bad Body Michael McGinnis, an Accent Hottie with whom Antonia had a brief summertime romance and has since avoided due to embarrassment. Michael faces a lot of slut-shaming from Antonia due to his previous dating history. Moving past that fact illustrates her growth as a person. Michael's appeal lies in the fact that he shows interest in Antonia and aggressively pursues her. He has White Jay appeal. I won't give away the ending, but Antonia's indignation at one of her suitors is at once hilarious and an excellent example of her maturation.
Overall, I can say that Antonia's the kind of girl I can imagine being friends with if she were real, both now as an adult and when I was a teenager. And isn't that the highest compliment you can give a protagonist?
Antonia has two goals in her life: become the world's first living saint and to get her first kiss from Andy Rotellini, the hottest senior at the affiliated boys Catholic school next to Holy Angels (Antonia's school).
Her obsessions are apparent throughout the entire book. I've learned a lot more about saints and the Catholic church through this YA novel than I did through two stints at Bible camp (yes, even though I am a Hindu) and my yearlong "I Live My Faith: Catholicism" program in which I participated while I was a Girl Scout.
The book takes place during Antonia's Fig Campaign, during which Antonia suggests (via post and email) that the Vatican nominate her as the Saint for Figs and Fig Trees. As Antonia is responsible for tending the fig trees in front of her family's store, it figures they become a prominent symbol. Fig trees were first mentioned in the Bible when Adam and Eve used the leaves to cover their nakedness. Likewise, Antonia mentions that fig trees are difficult to bury (they must be buried in winter so that they don't die before spring), yet in order to blossom, they must first hide. Likewise, Antonia is almost kept hidden by her mother's strict rules, yet we see by the end that she too can blossom.
The second obsession comes to light in several hilarious passages, including the following:
"Anyway, I sat there, blushing but trying to look cool, glancing through the Glory and Praise to our God songbook, while at the same time I wanted to shout, 'TAKE ME NOW, ANDY! I don't care if Father Bernardino is transubstantiating the bread and the wine!'" (pg 159)
Antonia's relationships with others highlight both how flawed and how realistic she is; she truly is a character to root for. Antonia makes it clear she loves her mom, even though she is overprotective. It's a nice change from the Parents-Don't-Exist phenomenon of Twilight/Shiver/Crescendo. One minor gripe: her father's death is dealt with such a short, "Yeah, it was pretty devastating" (pg 37) that I reread it thrice and wondered if she was being sarcastic. The fact that Antonia's grandmother may be experiencing significant dementia is glossed over as well, but this is YA and I'm not expecting that much exploration of characters in such a short novel.
Happily, there are several moments where we learn that Antonia isn't completely self-centered like some YA characters are. She is kind to children, regrets her harsh rebuffing of her friend Michael, and is sympathetic and empathetic toward the crippled widow Mrs. Bevelaqua. And, though Maria is her BFF, she still pals around with other girls her age such as Lila, when other YA protagonists (i.e. Bella Swan) would have dismissed girls like Lila as airheaded.
As per YA requirements, there is a Mean Girl antagonist. This comes in the form of her cousin Veronica; Antonia is quite insightful and pegs Veronica's motivations as stemming from resentment over a family dispute over the store and as jealousy left over from childhood when Antonia and Maria started getting closer. It is kind of refreshing to see a family nemesis that doesn't get redeemed in the end; there is no love lost at the end of the novel when Antonia seethes at Veronica and tells her cousin that she'll exact her revenge.
And of course, there is a love triangle. Antonia has her sights set on Andy, but Antonia has an admirer in Bad Body Michael McGinnis, an Accent Hottie with whom Antonia had a brief summertime romance and has since avoided due to embarrassment. Michael faces a lot of slut-shaming from Antonia due to his previous dating history. Moving past that fact illustrates her growth as a person. Michael's appeal lies in the fact that he shows interest in Antonia and aggressively pursues her. He has White Jay appeal. I won't give away the ending, but Antonia's indignation at one of her suitors is at once hilarious and an excellent example of her maturation.
Overall, I can say that Antonia's the kind of girl I can imagine being friends with if she were real, both now as an adult and when I was a teenager. And isn't that the highest compliment you can give a protagonist?
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