My Life as an Onion — Carole McDonnell

                 

Denise Higgins, staunch Bible reader and a seer of visions, has found the love of her life: Ben Moreau, a jaded profligate three years her junior.Hired as his Ben's sober companion to keep Ben away from his debauched druggie friends, she has a few hurdles to overcome. Least of which are Ben's money, Ben's ability to manipulate her, and her own growing infatuation with him.Then there's that pesky ancient curse that hangs over Ben's family line...and her own neuroses.Onion is a bittersweet story that follows the spiritual development of cynical but sensitive Denise and contemplative but loving Ben.

Their backgrounds could not be more different, both in culture and background as his wealthy Korean and French proprieties conflict with her poor Jamaican Christian upbringing.The prejudices of the well-to-do, of Christian parents, atheist parents, and pagan friends also work against Denise, even as she challenges their expectations and what she believes about herself.But Ben, with his sweet wit and selfish but kind heart, challenges her expectations as well. Together, they grow to discover a fuller and richer life.It is a story about suicide and the aftermath, of the lingering grief that remains for suicide survivors. It is a story of grief which is both humorous and wise, and it is a story about love and the spiritual questions of the human heart.