Julie is a Christian coming-of-age novel about teenager Julie Wallace who is abruptly moved to a small town with her family to run a nearly bankrupt newspaper that her troubled father has just purchased with the last of the family money. It is here in Alderton, Pennsylvania, amid the Great Depression, that Julie is confronted with the challenging humanity of her beloved father, the angst of first loves and an unexpected call into spiritual maturity.
In a conventional sense, this book has exactly the delicious drama that one would hope for in a novel. There's a young-love love triangle, intriguing family dynamics, an aspiring teenage journalist who must break the story against all odds, a wisdom figure who inserts his mysterious prophecies and profundities without explanation, a midlife crisis, an oldschool industrial villain, natural disasters galore and the historical clash of impoverished workers versus the wealthy establishment. The list goes on. And yet author Catherine Marshall weaves all of these threads into a splendid material that is crying for a film adaptation.
Julie is a book that is unselfconscious about its Christian characters. Sometimes “Christian fiction” devolves into a misplaced homily in which the author sacrifices taste or realism for truth. This can unfortunately backfire by pulling the reader out of the story. Julie’s story is set in the thick of a well-churched, Christian culture and there are several characters whose job is to literally preach the Gospel. Yet the subtle descriptions of even the most unsubtle characters allow the reader to be drawn into matters of faith through compelling characters who aren’t written to firstly “make a point,” but written to be natural and intriguing figures.
I particularly noticed how the author wrote about how the titular character wrestles with doubt and lukewarmness in her faith. It could be tempting to use the character’s arc as a means to pontificate on matters of faith, but the author doesn’t do so. She allows her character to wrestle with doubt, and then emerge with greater faith, with a naturalness that makes it all the more believable and relatable. Proclaiming the truth through literature is a high calling and, while it is not perfect, Julie does a good job of marrying literary taste with universal truth.
This novel was written by a Presbyterian about a family of 1930s American Presbyterians, so there are details of theology and ecclesial practice which diverge from Catholicism. However, Julie does a great job of exploring what it means to be a follower of Jesus, across any denomination. I was moved by the author’s articulation of characters who are seeking to open themselves up to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, even when it makes them uncomfortable. This book left me with a greater desire to attend to the Holy Spirit and be quick to obey His voice in my life, even when what He asks for is unconventional or uncomfortable.
Another memorable element of the story is its exploration of an oldest daughter's relationship with her Dad. I grew up admiring my own father's passionate conviction and natural gift for preaching. I know the feeling of looking up to your father, even amid his foibles, with an almost overwhelming force. Julie captures this experience beautifully.
There is a particular moment in adolescence when you begin to see that your parents are just humans too, ones who need mercy and compassion like anyone else. The veil of parenthood gradually gives way to the rugged reality of who your parents are as people. The simple admiration you once felt becomes more complicated. Julie wrestles honestly with this tension, trying to extend grace to her parents while she herself simultaneously needs their support. As she gradually turns to God amid this tension, it’s intriguing to watch how she receives the wisdom she needs. This will resonate with so many readers: when we find ourselves at a crossroads, how do we remain open to receiving the wisdom of God? As Julie crosses the bridge into adulthood, she offers a thoughtful and relatable picture of what that surrender can look like, at all ages.
Julie is worth your time as a novel that is as entertaining as it is meaningful. Good stories help us to navigate our own lives with wisdom and characters who know Christ help us to deepen our own relationships with Jesus. That is just what Julie offers.
