Title: Immaculate
Author: Katelyn Detweiler
Publisher: Viking
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Source: ARC Provided by Viking
Goodreads | Amazon
“Even if everyone
thought I was lying, why couldn’t they just leave me alone? I hadn’t
asked for any of them to believe me. I hadn’t asked for them to worship
me.
I hadn’t asked them for anything.”
Mina is top of
her class, girlfriend to the most ambitious guy in school, able to
reason and study her way through anything. But when she finds herself
pregnant—despite having never had sex—her orderly world collapses.
Almost nobody believes Mina’s claims of virginity. Her father assumes
that her boyfriend is responsible; her boyfriend thinks she must have
cheated on him. As news of Mina’s story spreads, there are those who
brand her a liar. There are those who brand her a heretic. And there are
those who believe that miracles are possible—and that Mina’s unborn
child could be the greatest miracle of all.
My Review
When I first came across
Immaculate, I made up my mind that it would probably be a book that I would borrow from the library. I'm not a huge fan of books with religious themes, so it seemed like a good idea to save some money rather than buy it and risk not enjoying it. However, Viking/Penguin contacted me for a review, and I gladly accepted. And I am so glad that I did because it's a
rather interesting and unique book that
covers a lot of genres - contemporary, retellings, religious fiction, and even a bit of realistic fantasy.
Like I said earlier, I'm not really a fan of religious fiction or books that are heavy on it. I don't really know what it is, but I think it dates back to the time when my mom told me that the Catholic priest from our church didn't want to baptize me because I was born out of wedlock. But, I still do give some religious books a fan because I like to read from all genres.
Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler is a
beautiful book that
wasn't too pushy when it came to religion and religious aspects, even though it is a biblical retelling. I found myself enjoying Ms. Detweiler's writing, and I loved that she even included a few references to the Bible and other religious texts in the book. It made understanding the history behind Mina's story a bit easier for me. (Because if I'm being honest, I don't know absolutely everything about the birth of Jesus - just the basics.) The brief inclusion of the religious aspects also makes the book feel more graspable than I thought it would be, and I felt like Detweiler was reaching out to readers who aren't Christians.
The characters in the book were
realistically flawed, despite this being a book that seems unrealistic. I loved getting to know Mina and her friends, and I loved the fact that Detweiler's
characters of choice were the smart, popular kids. I feel like sometimes smart kids get put on the back burner in YA, she she brings them to the front. Mina's characterization was done very well. She is this tough, little thing who is the Mary of the story, and her strength only grew throughout the novel. Her best friends, Hannah and Izzy, are different than Mina but still similar. Together, this trio was well-balanced. There are
struggles with their friendship, but I loved how Detweiler characterized them and used them within the plot. It felt like a real friendship. Jesse is also a wonderful character. He's very likeable, but he's so helpful. Together, Mina is definitely covered in the friends department.
I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed and that we lacked a little bit of an explanation, so I more or less think this book is a 3.5 star rating for me. But... now that I know something (check the interview!), I'm looking forward to seeing the reasons behind Mina's pregnancy.
If you're looking for a unique book this summer, definitely grab a copy of
Immaculate. It really surprised me, and
I'm sure that it will surprise other readers and just make them feel good about life. There might be a lot of bad in the world, but this book teaches readers that
there is always a little bit of hope.
An Interview with Katelyn Detweiler
- You’re
an agent. How does it feel to be on the other side of the door and have a
book out?
Surreal. Still very surreal. Going
in, I thought I’d be more mentally prepared for each step of the journey, but
there was so much I couldn’t know—not really, not until I was going through it
all for myself. In some ways, I’ve maybe been a bit calmer than I would have
thought—probably because I have mostly realistic expectations, I know the
process, I know more or less what’s coming up through the long (very long)
journey. But at the end of the day, this
book is still my baby, and I’d be a
bad mom if I wasn’t biting my nails with anxiety sometimes, too.
- Upon
first look, the book appears to have a bit in common with the hit TV show Jane
the Virgin. Have you seen the show? If so, are you a fan?
YES. I was planning on watching just
a few episodes—“homework,” I called it, to justify the extra TV time—to see how
similar it really was. I was hooked immediately, and binge-watched. After the
first episode, it was clear that IMMACULATE took the idea of a “pregnant
virgin” on a very different path, but
it was still so fascinating to see how it played out. I absolutely adore the
show—the great acting, the hilariously over-the-top and totally refreshing
drama—and am so pained by the fact that I’ll have to wait another few months for
a new episode. Hooray for a second season!
- I see
the book is set in Pennsylvania and that you grew up in that state. (I did
too!) What part of PA are you from? Will readers familiar with PA be able
to recognize some places and towns?
Hello, my fellow
PA native! : ) I’m from a small town about an hour northwest of Philly.
Suburban in some stretches, rural in others. My house was in the more
rural area of town, an old farmhouse with fields and woods on every side
of it, rather than actual neighbors. Green Hill is very much a reflection
of my childhood there, all the best and the worst bits about growing up in
a small town.
- How
did you come up with the idea to write this book?
The idea had been
buried in me for a long time—ever since, as a teenager, I’d asked my mom
if she would have believed me if I claimed to be a pregnant virgin. She
thought about it for a few seconds maybe, and then she said yes. I filed it away at the time,
laughing probably and moving on to my next obnoxious hypothetical question
(they’re my absolute favorite form of entertainment). But a few years ago,
it very suddenly and mysteriously came back to me. I started wondering
what people would really say if
someone were to make this claim—and stand behind it, no matter what the
consequences—in our world today. I was amazed, given all the other
re-tellings and twists out on the market now—fairytales, myths,
Shakespeare, Austen—that this old
story hadn’t been touched yet, at least not for teens. From there, I
couldn’t not write it. It felt
meant to be, a story that just had to be retold.
- Why is
one thing that you admire about Mina?
Her ability to
shift the way she defines “success.” At the beginning of the story, it’s
all about grades, straight A’s, a 100% at the top of every exam or essay.
It’s about getting into the dream college, always working toward the dream
career. And it’s also about walking down the halls with her perfect,
athletic, brainy, handsome boyfriend, the clear marker that she’s made it
socially as well as academically. Mina had a shiny reputation. She had
shiny goals. With the discovery of her pregnancy, everything instantly changes.
She has to find a different way to value her life; she has to accept that
happiness isn’t the same as achieving perfection.
Real life isn’t perfect. Happiness isn’t a grade—it’s trying your best,
and being proud of the struggle.
- Do you
have anything in common with Mina or any of the other characters in the
book?
I poured a lot of my own life into Mina,
mostly because I was so curious thinking about how the people in my life
would have responded to me if I’d made this claim at seventeen. I was the
valedictorian of my class, hyper-focused on getting straight A’s,
constantly thinking about getting into the best college, having the best
career. I was on a very rigidly set path, a path that didn’t leave much
room for any unexpected variables—variables like… becoming a pregnant
virgin, for example.
- The
book is broken up into sections based on Mina’s life and pregnancy. Did
you set out to write it that way or did it just feel like the right way as
you were drafting and writing?
This was more or less in place from
the very beginning. I wanted to make sure that I was giving equal weight to the
challenges that would come up in the different stages of pregnancy, and then
reflect how those challenges played out in Mina’s life, both with herself, and
with the people around her—spreading from her family and friends to the town,
the country, the world. I wanted to make sure I didn’t brush past any key
moments a new mom would be facing. And I worked hard to be accurate about this
part of the novel—I read a lot of
pregnancy books / articles / websites to prep for it. What to Expect When Your Expecting was front and center on my desk
for months.
- Readers
are often drawn to books based on similar titles or themes. Are there any
books that you think readers of Immaculate would like or vice
versa?
Yes, absolutely. I love similar
books with hypothetical twists—contemporary novels with that added “what if” perspective to play around with the concept of our
everyday realities. Books that are all still very grounded in a world that
we can understand, even if the impossible vs. the possible have dramatically
shifted. David Levithan’s EVERYDAY, Gayle Foreman’s IF I STAY, and Lauren
Oliver’s BEFORE I FALL all immediately come to mind.
- Who
are some of your favorite authors? Did their books inspire this story in
any way?
I’d
say the above list all certainly make the cut. I love contemporary and I
love fantasy, and I really love
the stories where elements from both of those worlds meet. Oh, and J.K. Rowling. Always J.K.
Rowling.
- We all
have to read books in school. What was your favorite school read?
The Scarlet Letter, maybe?
Which, now that I think about it, probably explains where some of the
ideas for IMMACULATE first began…
- Do you
have any plans for future books? (Don’t worry… I won’t make you spill any
details about them.)
I do! I can’t say too
much yet, but there will be a follow-up novel coming out next year. It’s the
story of what happens seventeen years after IMMACULATE ends, when Mina’s baby
is now a teenager, discovering the truth of his/her past, and what it means for
the present (and future). There’s been a massive tragedy that the world is
still reeling from; it definitely goes a bit deeper and darker in this second
book, but it is still very much grounded in the big questions that drive
IMMACULATE.
About Katelyn Detweiler
Katelyn Detweiler was born and
raised in Pennsylvania—in a small town much like Mina’s—living in a
centuries-old farmhouse surrounded by fields and woods. After graduating
from Penn State University, she made the move to New York City, where
she is a literary agent representing books for all ages and across all
genres. Katelyn currently lives, agents, and writes in Brooklyn.
