What kind of teenager were you growing up? Regardless of your social status, upbringing, or family situation, your adolescent years are a whirlwind of information, experience, and growth that begin a lifelong journey into self-identity. Those years are when we finally begin to think independently of our upbringing. However, our unwitting ignorance or blatant defiance can result in damaging consequences. But that’s not to say that adults with vices, regrets, or distractions of their own do much better. Author James Morley explores the concepts of morality, faith, independent thinking, and regret in his metaphorical morality novel, Sweetness Followed.
Sweetness Followed plot summary
Erin Cook is an 11-year-old girl living with her family in upstate New York in the winter of 1984. She’s the youngest of four children who have grown up in a devoutly religious household. But like her older siblings, she is beginning to question those beliefs. However, she doesn’t seem to have anyone to turn to that can help her answer these questions.
Her oldest brother, Eli, avoids coming around as much as possible. Her middle brother, Ian, has neglected her to focus on losing his virginity before the end of his senior year. He zeroes in on their new neighbor, Beth, as a means to reach this goal. And their parents are preoccupied with avoiding the realization that their marriage is crumbling.
Only her Sunday school teacher, Heather, takes a genuine interest in helping Erin to maintain her faith. But a number of events that take place over the course of the next several months puts everyone’s faith, morals, and decisions to the test.
Sweetness Followed is a fascinating morality tale about how a lack of faith can be just as dangerous as an abundance of it. The story is told through multiple perspectives of the family through a cynical, omniscient narrator who paints a dreary but interesting picture of a family heading for disaster. What’s unexpected is the sequence of events that lead to this implosion. And the punishments that are carried out are severe.
A character-driven story
Sweetness Followed is highly character-driven, which was refreshing after a slew of recent plot-heavy reads. Character-driven novels are far from easy to pull off. Luckily, Morley had a clear thesis in mind while plotting his novel. As a result, the story is clearly told, its characters are well-defined, and its tone is consistently tense and moody.
Every character observation is thought-provoking, wandering off into deep philosophical questions without veering off course. These characters all live in a perpetually dissatisfied and bored state. This is illustrated by the long, dreary winter that spills over into spring. It’s the ideal atmosphere for such lamenting thoughts. It also creates this disconnect of communication which lead to their depressive pattern of recurring thought patterns and feelings.
Our hero, Erin, is by far the most innocent character in the story. But she’s not your idealized young girl protagonist. Her days are spent questioning her faith, longing for a friend to talk to, hunting a weasel with her dad’s shotgun (despite her mother’s protests), and maintaining the grave of an infant whose memory seems to have been forgotten. She has become numb to emotion as the result of her isolation.
Then, she literally stumbles into the depths of puberty. This leads her to seek out the answers to all of the moral questions that have been swirling inside her head. Unfortunately, her innocent inquiries inadvertently cause her to fall victim to the most monstrous acts that can be carried out by human beings. I’m not one to spoil stories with trigger warnings, but if you are put off by disturbing content, this is not the story for you.
Sweetness themes
Though the Cook parents are devout Christians, they aren’t strict. At the age of sixteen, the children are allowed to decide whether or not they want to attend church. As a result, Erin is the only one who is forced to sit through Sunday school once a week. There, she directs her theological questions towards Heather. Heather’s approach is a desperate yet gentle attempt to tether Erin to her Christianity.
Meanwhile, her brother, Ian, spends his school days in debate class sparring with his teacher, challenging his nihilist beliefs. If there is no God to answer to and no punishment to endure as a result, then why follow any rules?
This makes for a dangerous mindset in a teenage boy whose ideas about masculinity are aggressively rooted in his self-worth. As a result, he will go to extreme lengths to make sure that he achieves that goal. After a botched attempt threatens that self-worth, he seeks it out in a much more aggressive and disturbing way.
While the children seem wise beyond their years for challenging their upbringing, it’s their ignorance that ultimately leads to their downfall. That’s not to say that their parents’ life experience works in their favor. Lyle Cook deals with his crumbling marriage by fantasizing about other women.
Helen Cook, meanwhile, resorts to nagging and name calling to alleviate her frustrations. Neither method even scratches the surface of their problems. Ultimately, they are too restricted by their faith to find relief. This culminates in a pressure cooker of emotions that, when they explode, lead to tragic consequences.
My recommendation
Sweetness Followed is a book to read when you want to get lost in a world of cynicism and deep thinking. I don’t recommend reading it while in a particularly good or bad mood as it could drag you down from a high or sink you lower into a low. But a clear head space will give you the room that you need to dive into the book’s themes and message.
It’s not a difficult read on the surface. The narration is straightforward and clear, seamlessly tying in these philosophical questions to its characterization and surroundings. The difficulty lies in making sense of the intentional senselessness of the story’s outcome. If you love dark, classic tales like The Catcher in the Rye or The Bell Jar, Sweetness Followed is for you.
Also, check out my interview with author James Morley about his novel, Sweetness Followed, here!
Buy it!
Buy a copy of Sweetness Followed here, and help support local bookstores! This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission from any sales.
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