The Abstinence Clearinghouse Blog

There are very few books written that deal with abstinence and abstinence related issues, plain and simple, which is why I was greatly intrigued by Tom Perrotta’s book, The Abstinence Teacher. I was convinced that I had struck literary gold as I made my way to the great American institution that is the public library and checked out my very own copy. After all, with all of the press and media coverage surrounding the controversial topic of sex education in schools, to abstain or not to abstain, I couldn’t think of a better book to get my hands on than one so entitled.

And I was partly right. Mechanically, Perrotta’s sixth fiction novel is a treasure. The story is engaging, the writing is remarkable, and Perrotta’s ability to capture the heartbeat of suburbia with his words is more than impressive.

However, the actual story within was not what I had expected. I suppose I had expected to find that the main plot of the story dealt with the issue of teaching abstinence or some sort of struggle that arose for the characters concerning the issue of abstinence education within the classroom. This plot, while it does exist, is more of a catalyst though in that it serves to create situations for characters to connect with one another, but that is not to say that Perrotta does not deal with the issue of abstinence; in fact, one of the main characters, Tim, struggles throughout the novel with abstaining not only from sex, but also from pitfalls of his past life, including drugs and alcohol.

For the active reader, Perrotta’s novel is an excellent exercise for the mind. Ruth, the main character, who is “the abstinence teacher,” has been informed that she will teach the new abstinence curriculum or she will no longer be the human sexuality teacher at the local high school. She agrees to teach it but her opposition to the abstinence message is clear and I found myself engaged in an internal debate with her character throughout the novel, reacting to her comments and opinions with ones of my own.

The Abstinence Teacher is a great novel for the casual reader because it is exceptionally written and the characters and plot lines are engaging but it is best read by someone who is willing to exert some mental energy in order to fully appreciate the complexities of the characters and Perrotta’s powerful themes and subtle imagery. However, Perrotta’s gift of description coupled with the sexual nature of the subject matter leaves, at times, very little to the imagination and, subsequently, makes this a book for the mature reader.