wow. what a departure for Toews. it's a philosophical treatise against the backdrop of both an ancient and modern Mennonite colony (time doesn't really pass in a colony, just new vocabulary get added). the crimes of this authoritarian and patriarchal society are shockingly close to crimes being perpetrated today. and the women's reactions are universal and timeless. Toews is an author so shaped by her early life in a religious sect, and this latest offering leads me to believe that her faith, her true faith, has never left her.