Book Review: Baptists at Our Barbeque, by Robert F. Smith

Baptists at Our Barbeque, by Robert F. Smith

The plot (and tone) is almost identical to Robison Wells’ On Second Thought.
Similarities:

• Protagonist goes to small town and discovers the quirkiness of the towns people
• Protagonist meets beautiful girl there
• Protagonist has total inferiority complex
• A mystery occurs but is not the main focus of the book.

Things the book does very well:

• Characterization is very strong and very amusing. The variety of quirks is astounding and intriguing. It definitely passes the Would-I-read-this-out-loud-to-my-husband Test.
• Smith does a great job of using motifs at appropriate times.

Problems with the book:

• The denouement of the mystery of the missing trailer half is confusing and the reader does not see how the clues fit together.
• The policeman who solves the mystery reveals it all at the end with such excitement, except there is hardly any indication elsewhere in the story that the mystery was bothering him or that he was thinking about it. (There is lots of dialogue from other characters, but hardly anything from him.)
• The clues the policeman reveals seem like they came out of nowhere, since the reader didn’t know that information. All the reader knew was that Mary hated the church. Perhaps if Rich had been seen several times hanging around Mary’s place at unexpected times, it might give a better idea that he was involved.
• As a reader, I was somewhat disturbed by the idea of Rich’s body left out in the wilderness with such unconcern. This felt like a loose end that was left dangling.
• The character Rich is a significant source of persecution in the book, yet the protagonist does not seem bothered psychologically by this. Yet visiting recalcitrant members seems to evoke a lot more fear and dread. This does not seem quite emotionally consistent.

These problems are so small though, that it did not interfere my enjoyment of the book.

Does this book fit my requirements for Mormon literature?

• The book seems written specifically for the Mormon audience.
• The protagonist and the love interest are faithful Mormons. As a reader I was able to identify with them through both their good choices and mistakes. We get to see Mormon culture with a significant number of warts, but without mean-spiritedness or cynicism. It exposes a good bit of hypocritical attitudes and off-base thinking through humor and absurdity.
• Gospel principles are discussed in relation to the story events. The protagonist speculates freely about what God has in store for their life. The characters have spiritual experiences, pray, give priesthood blessings, baptism, home teach, and have church meetings and counsel. (These incidents seem predominantly intended to create the Mormon atmosphere of the book, but they do move the story along in a very subtle way.) Much of the heavy lifting is done with humor. The characters are even able to joke about their spiritual standing and the spiritual standing of those around them.
• The law of the harvest is followed. Justice is done and evil is not glorified.

Do I recommend this book?
Yes. It was a fun read.