The Jezebel List
A Novel
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Unleashing her inner Jezebel on camera was not part of Christina Edmondson’s plan, but nobody said rebuilding your life after religious and family trauma was going to be easy.
A radical and heartfelt debut that celebrates the pursuit of joy, The Jezebel List is perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez and B. K. Borison.
✔ Attend a pagan festival
✔ Get a Brazilian wax
☐ Watch pornography
☐ Explore a science museum
☐ Have a one-night stand
☐ Take the Lord’s name in vain, with relish
These barely begin to scratch the surface of Christina Edmondson’s Jezebel list. As the daughter of a once-respected fundamentalist pastor and running out the clock on her last semester at the ultraconservative (read: ultrabackward) Hilltop University, Christina is ready for a drastic change. Following months of intense therapy and years of being told that the enchanting evils of the modern world would lead to eternal damnation, attending a pagan festival feels like freedom. And then she catches the eye of documentarian Danny Reeves.
After meeting Christina and her Jezebel list, Danny is immediately inspired. Despite the recent burnout of his professional career investigating the injustices of the Evangelical South, Danny is certain that Christina’s story is one with the potential to resonate with millions. A fan of his work, Christina agrees to be the subject of his next documentary, but under one condition: they must complete her list together.
As they begin checking items off the list, neither one expects the spark burning brighter and hotter between them. But for Christina, outsmarting old demons is hard, and rediscovering yourself takes courage.
A dazzling exploration of identity, The Jezebel List is unapologetically candid and will delight readers who long for the happily ever after.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Probing religious trauma and personal growth, Dean's debut is an equal parts sensual and affecting exploration of love and identity. As a senior at a strict Evangelical college in Tennessee, Christina has only just begun to reckon with her restrictive religious upbringing as a fundamentalist pastor's kid. After a life spent praying, acting in line with the church's teachings, and absorbing the limiting lessons she was fed, her faith was shaken by a major church scandal. Intensive therapy has led her to conclude that she wants to know who she is outside of her religion. To do so, she makes a checklist of sinful and blasphemous acts to unleash her inner Jezabel, starting with attending a pagan festival. There, she meets documentarian Danny, whose videos critiquing Southern religious culture were inspirational to Christina. He pitches a documentary about her journey and the pair grow close as he chronicles her checking items off her list (other items include watching porn and going to a science museum). A spicy, liberatory love story ensues, told from both Christina's and Danny's perspectives. Their nuanced romance balances nicely with an unvarnished look at the effects of generational trauma and the weight of expectations. With as many laugh-out-loud moments as tear-jerking ones, this powerful and immersive new adult romance stuns.
