R
rjm54
Guest
In light of all the serious NFP posts here, I wanted to mention a FUN novel that concerns all the trials and tribulations of trying to postpone pregnancy with NFP: David Lodge’s The British Museum is Falling Down. It’s about a young British Catholic couple on the cusp of Vatican II. The husband is trying to finish a dissertation on English literature while he and his wife try not to have sex to postpone a fourth (fifth?) child, even though they are convinced their rhythm method will inevitably fail. Each chapter is written in the style of a different work of major British literature, which is a fun puzzle in itself, if you were an English major. The conclusion of the book suggests that a new day dawned with Vat II and Catholics wouldn’t have to deal with NFP anymore, so it will not please most participants in this community. But as a whole the novel is delightfully and humorously sympathetic toward the plight of many of us, and appreciative of the benefits of earnest NFP-ing. I found it quite therapeutic–as I find reading and responding to these boards.