Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

Hillary Huber's narration has a sharp edge that deals effectively with the ironic humor that runs throughout this memoir. Years into her marriage to an abusive, bipolar man, Janzen ultimately loses him--to a man he met on the Internet. She turns to her Mennonite upbringing to help see her through and ends up moving back home with her parents, a move that prompts her to look at the Mennonite religion and culture with fresh eyes. Janzen's husband's defection obviously had a profound effect on her, and Huber recites her frequent references to "Bob" from gay.com almost like a mantra. In other places, Huber's tone aptly depicts Janzen's habit of coping through humor and introspection. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine