The book is by Jeanette Winterson. I found this book to be a very good read. It's only 176 pages, but it packs quite a punch. Our main character, Jeanette (this raises a question for me, is fiction, or non-fiction?), is raised in an extremely christian family in England. No big town, by the way, very small. Her mother plays a very big role in the church. Jeanette's mother has taught her to read from religious books. This raises quite a problem for Jeanette when she goes to school. She tells her peers of the Devil, and so on, so forth.
One day, Jeanette and her mother are walking through the market place, when Jeanette sees Melanie, gutting fish. Jeanette is immediantly entranced by Melanie, and with out knowing it, falls victim to what her church called, "Unnatural Passions." Her church calls Her and Melanie out on it, and thus the hmm... What shall I call it? Let's say a period of hiding, loving, hating and questioning, begins.
I personally love this book! I think that it is truthful and... raw. It left me reflecting deeply. Rethinking, reviewing, not only the book but myself.
One thing that I am having trouble understanding is the symbolism. The oranges do get me confused. She is given oranges throughout her childhood as a sort of... comfort. At one point in time she begins to question... The orange. "Why not another fruit?" she thinks to herself. But I think that it has to do with the Devil inside of her. At one point in the book, Her mother begins starving/dehidrating her to get her to repent (for having the Unnatural Passions). While this is going on, she begins to hallucinate. What she sees is a tiny orange devil/demon that begins to talk to her. Are these two things connected? What does the title mean? Grrr.
Another peice of symbolism is on the cover.
at another point in the book, Melanie stands in the back of the church, with a mistle toe. Perhaps this is playing off of Adam+Eve in the Garden? I dunno, it's just a thought... The forbidden fruit...
Anyway, one more thing that I really like about this book is that it plays on my favorite theme ever...
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I love it! The whole church has told her that certain things are right, and certain things are wrong. Fornication, unnatural passions, drinking, etc. are all wrong. Because even though it's in the church, you can still see their morals, and she proves how ridiculous they are! Huzza! READ IT!!! The Paperback is only $8.95. Here's the Amazon link:http://www.amazon.com/Oranges-Are-Not-Only-Fruit/dp/B000IZ1TWK/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202174719&sr=8-10
