Selling the Lite of Heaven
by Suzanne Strempek Shea
New York: Pocket Books, 1994
One of the great joys of books is the ability to revisit an old favorite. I took that opportunity recently and reread "Selling the Lite of Heaven," the debut novel by Suzanne Strempek Shea. The unnamed narrator is a thirty-something Polish Catholic from Palmer, MA, who "has been left for God." Her fiance, Eddie Balicki, who she first met in Church, decided to leave her and become a priest. Her task now is to sell her engagement ring. Described as having "The Lite of Heaven," her ad in the local Pennysaver will run until the ring is sold. The novel interweaves the story of her romance with Eddie with the tale of her attempts to sell the ring.
I first read this novel over 15 years ago when it was new. Even then, it was somewhat frozen in time. Now, it reads like historical fiction, painting a portrait of life before the internet and cell phones. The narrator works at a photo processing place where photos are guaranteed within 24 hours and everything is on film. In so many ways, it was a different world, and rereading it brought me back to that place of my youth.
This novel is incredibly Catholic. It was perhaps my first introduction to Catholic fiction, all the more remarkable because it was published by a mainstream publisher. Those who have grown up Catholic in an immigrant community will definitely see themselves in these pages.
"Selling the Lite of Heaven" is a delightful read with an engaging premise. If it were written today, it would be a vastly different story, but as it is, it is full of charm, a vignette of a by-gone era, and a wonderful escape.
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