Corinne by Rebecca Morrow

 

Summary (from the publisher): You want to walk away from the things that were bad for you and never look back.

That's what Corinne Callahan wants.

Cast out of the fundamentalist church she was raised in and cut off from her family, Corinne builds a new life for herself. A good one. But she never stops missing the life—and the love— she's left behind.

It's Enoch Miller who ruins everything for her. It was always Enoch Miller. She'll never get him out from under her skin.

Set over fifteen years and told with astonishing intimacy, Rebecca Morrow's Corinne is the story of a woman who risks everything she's built for the one man she can never have.

Review: Corinne is a high school student whose life is very much defined by the strict guidelines of her family's church. When her family has to move in with close family friends, she feels increasingly pulled towards their son, Enoch Miller. While Corinne and her family are on the fringe of the church and not considered particularly upstanding, Enoch is an Elder in the church community and he is already engaged to the beautiful Shannon. The pair feel an indescribable pull towards one another, but it is all twisted up in their belief that their interest and desire for one another is a sin. While Corinne is ultimately cast out of their fundamentalist congregation, the pair reunite years later. But it is unclear if they can overcome their history, their religious background, or their families' beliefs to find a way to be together.

This was unexpectedly wonderful! This was a story of forbidden love that was compulsively readable for me. I felt particular sympathy for two teenagers who are so restricted that they're not allowed to follow their hearts or true interests. Ultimately this repressive faith leads to an unhappy marriage for Enoch and being cast out and away from her family for Corinne. Having them reconnect and finally discuss their teenage experiences felt deeply healing. Why not everyone gets a second chance at their first love, Corinne and Enoch do and I was rooting for them the whole way. I thought the sex scenes in this book were particularly well done and felt very authentic of two individuals wanting to be open and free yet still operating under the shadow of their religiously oppressive childhoods.   

A beautiful love story about a couple caught in a complicated situation who are yet desperate to make it work. Their history together gave Corinne plenty of reason to hate Enoch. And his religious upbringing in a sexually repressive and sexist congregation gave Enoch every reason to shun Corinne. But despite it all, they found a way to relate in an open and honest way. I liked them both as people and I loved their love story. 

Stars: 4