Bethlehem Road

by Nancy Crowe

New Bethlehem, Indiana is about to collide with San Francisco, California. Naomi Bittner, returning to her roots in the Midwest, is unhappy that Ruth Greene, lesbian partner of her daughter, Marina, has insisted on accompanying her. Both women are mourning Marina. Neither woman understands why Marina has fled them both. As Naomi tries to reconnect the threads of a life she left years ago, hip young San Franciscan Ruth wends her way cautiously through the intricate interconnections of small town life, its assumptions and rigid standards of behavior. Slowly, she uncovers secrets, and closets. One of those closets is occupied by the highly admired town doctor, Belinda Boaz. An attraction building between Belinda and Ruth seems to have a hopeless Belinda is a generation removed from Ruth in age, has a daughter and a grandchild, and is deeply entrenched in a town seemingly unwilling to make room for a lesbian couple. Then, suddenly, shockingly, events careen out of control in the town of New Bethlehem... Crowe clothes the journey of these women in an ancient story--the biblical tale of Ruth--whose themes of friendship, perseverance, and welcoming the stranger have powerful echoes for our contemporary world.

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

Reviews

[wren4777 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really quite liked this book, it's criminal that it doesn't seem to have been read by many people. Both Ruth and Belinda were very likeable and easy to root for, and it was very interesting to have Naomi's almost antagonistic perspective. As a young queer person who is extremely lucky to be living in a progressive city in the 2020s, the homophobia both characters experienced in their context is very valuable insight. It was also a really nice perspective to see chill religious people in there, even as someone who is irreligious - it was a bit of a sad reminder as to how there are less and less religious moderates these days.

I just wish there had been an extra 20-odd pages at the end, perhaps one more chapter, showing Ruth and Belinda living and enjoying life together. I'm not saying everything should have been wrapped up neatly - in real life people like Naomi rarely come around completely - but it would have been nice to see them trying to work through that adversity. If it had had something like that at the end, it would have been an easy 5-star read.