Jeanette our protagonist is a deeply introspective individual, troubled with the oxymoron that she considers to be her deep love of God and her attraction to women. This work deals with traumatic recollections, many of which really happened to the author, and as such are not likely to be delivered in a sensical, straightforward manner. While this novel can throw distractions at the reader that at times feel tedious, it is this writer's opinion that when faced with over-symbolism, one should think harder about why it is present. It has been said that the novel relies on over-symbolism. Taking on a bildungsroman is no easy task, though Winterson’s poetic and, at times, fantastical style or narration makes the novel feel refreshing, which speaks for the eternal weight of the meaning behind these words, despite them being written decades ago. I cannot number the ways in which my adolescence might have been made simpler had I texts such as this to guide me. This essential work is terribly bittersweet as it is so deeply affecting and nostalgic, and reflects so many of our lived experiences, but makes us wish we had read it sooner. Only us gays can accurately depict romantic obsession (ahem Siken) and that is a hill I will die on. Jeanette Winterson’s 1985 novel covers this writer's two favorite things it has some of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen (mine is the Vintage 1996 print with the candle) and it covers obsession, religion, and religious obsession.

Oranges are not the only fruit feminism