Watch How We Walk

Written by Jennifer LoveGrove

Narrated by Morgan Hallett

Alternating between a woman' s childhood in a small town and as an adult in the city, this novel traces a Jehovah Witness family' s splintering belief system, their isolation, and the erosion of their relationships. As Emily becomes closer to her closeted Uncle Tyler, she begins to challenge her upbringing. Her questions about the Jehovah' s Witnesses' insular lifestyle, rigid codes of conduct, and tenets of their faith haunt her older sister Lenora too. When Lenora disappears, everything changes and Emily becomes obsessed with taking on her sister' s identity, believing that Lenora is controlling her actions. Ultimately, Emily finds release through self-mutilation. The narrative offers a haunting, cutting exploration of the Jehovah' s Witness practice and practical impact of " disfellowshipping," proselytization, and cultural abstinence, as well as their attitude toward the " worldlings" outside of their faith. Sparse, vivid, menacingly suspenseful, and darkly humorous, Watch How We Walk simultaneously engages on emotional, visceral, and intellectual levels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781470390792

Reviews for Watch How We Walk

[lit_chick_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Please, God, please, make it all be a misunderstanding. I promise I'll never complain or disobey again. Please please please please. Please God, Jehovah, don't let anything else bad happen." (230-31)Emily dreams of being a full-time pioneer when she grows up. But the only future she can imagine in her Jehovah’s Witness family, is one of knocking on doors and handing out Watchtower magazines. As Emily grows closer to her closeted uncle, Tyler, and to her older sister, Leonora, who is wearing makeup, sporting dyed hair, and associating with boys, she beings to seriously challenge her upbringing. Through tragic and unforgiveable circumstances, not only related to the Kingdom Hall and its elders, but perpetrated by them, Emily loses both her uncle and sister. Her mental anguish and fear is heartbreaking as she realizes she must choose a different future or face the same end:"I pushed up my left sleeve. There was a bit of room left. I hadn't been etching as much since I'd started the tightrope training with Janice, but I needed it tonight. Things felt overwhelmingly out of control, and I was scared … I drew a half dozen Xs on the inside of my forearm, and felt better. One of them went a little deeper than I meant to, and blood dripped onto the floor. I tore off a wad of toilet paper and held it on my arm for a while. I felt much more poised." (275-76)Watch How We Walk is LoveGrove’s stunning debut novel: a haunting, emotional look at an isolationist religion; and a cutting exploration of disfellowshipping, proselytization, as well as the Witnesses’ attitudes towards the “worldings” outside of their religion. By turns heartbreaking, tragic, and darkly humourous, this is a novel I could not put down. And young Emily is unforgettable. LoveGrove is a Canadian author to watch. Highly recommended.

[Laidback SexyVirgo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was really good. Excellent story . Loved it

[nkmunn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The structure of this story is perfectly tuned to the narrative perspectives of the protagonist and the unfathomable ways families and communities can abuse and fail the vulnerable and unconformant.

Many thanks to the gr friend who recommended this - I wouldn't have come to this book on my own - this story immerses the reader in issues that create valuable sympathies.

[paradiseporch · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Set in the 1970s. The story is told through the eyes of a child who doesn’t fully understand her faith; father is weak and a tyrant. Some things are distorted (studying the WatchTower every meeting) and some are just downright wrong. Some problems are a result of dysfunctional family, not being Witnesses. For non-witnesses who can't distinguish which are which, the story can be grossly misleading.

[ldvoorberg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A quick but captivating read about a JW family and the secrets they hide -- and how the two daughters deal with the pressure, secrecy, and isolation. The story flips back and forth between Emily as a ten year old (or thereabouts) (told in third person) and as a young adult at university (told in first person). The mystery between the two stories slowly closes -- this is where the book wins points. The author gives enough hints to make you wonder and suspect but not know everything: a tricky balance that she pulls off effectively. Of course the content is not easy and would warrant trigger warnings (if you believe in such things), but it's worth the read anyway.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about the tyranny of religion, in this case, the Jehovah's Witnesses. Ten-year-old Emily believes strongly what she is taught at Meetings, and she worries as she watches her teenaged sister, Lenora, breaking rules and associating with "wordly" peers. When her uncle Tyler is shunned (disfellowshipped) by the community, and Lenora disappears, Emily's world is shattered and she struggles to make sense of what she's always believed. The story alternates between the perspective of Emily as a ten-year-old and Emily as a twenty-year-old. As the two stories come together, we learn the truth about Lenora and Uncle Tyler, and see how it affected Emily. The story is well told.

[reluctantm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

We've read this story before, leaving a fundamentalist household. There's nothing new here in terms of plot or pacing. But stories can be told again and again. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with reading a familiar story with variations as long as the variations are enough to keep my interest. The Emily in the now sections aren't as interesting as the Emily in the then sections. I feel bad for all the characters, so trapped. The hopelessness comes through in the writing magnificently.

[thelostentwife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Religious abuse is not a pretty subject. The fear that can be instilled in a child is chilling; horrifying to think about. My family once adopted a puppy from our local shelter and when we brought him home we watched as he cowered from the men in our family. You see, he had been horrifically abused by men in the home that had him before and so it was only natural that when a masculine figure approached him, his tail would go between his legs and his eyes would take on that look - you know the one I'm talking about. Now, magnify that picture in your head and replace the dog with that of a child. Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Dec. 7, 2013.

[judylou_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Emily is a young girl trying to make sense of her life as a Jehova’s Witness. She is constantly trying to defend herself against the taunts of schoolmates; and to explain her way of life to others. She goes door to door with her family, but always with the hope that she will not knock on any doors where she will be forced to face people she knows and fears. Emily’s father is their family guide. He quotes scripture, he sets the rules and he reigns over his family. Her mother appears to go along with his desires, however, she does not always believe in the path he has set for them and seems to be adding more than coffee to her ever present travel cup. Lenore is Emily’s teenage sister. She is also struggling with this very religious life, presenting a very pious front to her congregation, while at the same time rebelling against the church and it’s restrictions in a number of ways. Then there is Uncle Tyler, her mother’s brother, who is breaking more than one rule and appears to be on the slippery slope to disfellowshipment. Emily is exposed to all this but she is too young to make a difference. She is unable to understand what is happening to her family and unable to help. She is very confused.The story is told on two levels. The first when Emily is young and hoping her family will survive. The second is told when Emily is older. There has been a crisis within the family which is not revealed until much later, and Emily’s reaction to all that has happened is severe. She becomes a cutter. Her arms are criss-crossed with scars. Cutting herself makes her feel better and more in control, connecting her when she feels like she is going to disappear.This is a very thought provoking story. Emily faces the loss of not only her religion and her family but her innocence as well. It is not always easy to read, but this is a story that you will persevere with through the, sometimes, very dark moments.