The cover is pink. A strappy stiletto peeks out from the bottom right corner. This is clearly not Grudem’s Systematic Theology – or Dante, Dickens, Dumas, or anything closely related. This is one of those books about which I feel guilty reading. It isn’t Christian inspirational or classic literature and it doesn’t really contain anything that could be deemed spiritually redemptive. By Biola’s standards of academic value, it would appear to fail on all counts. Still, I can’t deny that I’ve spent more than one rainy afternoon with this novel for a companion, curled up on my couch with a big mug of cocoa and 350 pages of pure, frivolous fun.
Becky Bloomwood is a twenty-something fashionista who also happens to be a writer for a financial magazine. Shopping is her true love and her level of commitment is truly staggering. The book begins with two words: don’t panic. Well, panic she does not, though it might have done her some good. Financially irresponsible to a degree I hope to never encounter, Becky will do anything to avoid two things in life: opening her Visa bill and meeting with her bank manager to discuss her (disastrous) financial situation. The measures she takes involve both chucking her unopened bill in a cement mixer and telling her bank manager that she is confined to her bed with glandular fever and a broken leg.
Frustrating, right? Irritating beyond belief that she could be so naïve and irresponsible? Not as much as one would think. The fact is, the book is hilarious. British author Sophie Kinsella crafts a paragraph in a way that makes me want to read every word, lest I miss some bit of hip British slang, or a particularly humorous moment. She creates a character that is quirky, spontaneous, and scatterbrained. It is Becky Bloomwood’s unique personality that makes her endearing and her lovable nature that makes it easy to forgive her flaws. Only she would put her faith in a secret fantasy that someday her Visa bill will accidentally be sent to a little old lady who would, of course, pay it without a second glance.
No, there is no hidden wisdom that will emerge after much contemplation. You won’t be challenged mentally or spiritually. Your life won’t be changed as a result of this novel. But you will be uplifted, amused and refreshed. And goodness knows, we college students do need a break every now and then from the stress of academia. So take the time, allow yourself to relax and enjoy an afternoon with this particular charmer of a shopaholic.
