If you are looking for a meaty book for your reading group, consider Tom Perrotta’s latest novel, “The Abstinence Teacher,” in which liberals and evangelicals clash in the northeastern suburb of Stonewood Heights. 

Ruth Ramsey is a high school sex-ed teacher, known for giving straight, honest answers to difficult questions. But a comment that may be too frank puts her in hot water with the Tabernacle of the Gospel Truth, the new church in town. Members of the church approach Ruth’s principal and the school board, and soon she’s asked to teach an abstinence curriculum — the first skirmish in a long battle of values.

Tim Mason received a hand-up from Pastor Dennis of the Tabernacle when he hit bottom in his former life as a stoner musician. Now he’s getting his life back on track, and playing guitar with the Praise team at the Tabernacle. A divorced dad, Tim coaches fifth-grade soccer in order to spend time with his daughter, Abby. Ruth’s daughter, Maggie, is the team’s star player.  

The battle escalates when Tim draws the girls into a circle following an emotional win, and they join hands in prayer. When Ruth realizes what’s going on, she’s furious and pulls Maggie out of the circle. Ruth writes a letter to the soccer association about Tim’s inappropriate conduct, and hopes to enlist other parents in her challenge.

The clash between the members of the Tabernacle and the liberal residents of Stonewood Heights intensifies as the evangelicals make it their mission to spread their message in the community. Pastor Dennis holds Tim up as a crusader in the Lord’s army, and encourages him to continue to fight the good fight on the soccer field.

Ruth, an unbeliever, and Tim, a born-again evangelical, are both zealous in defending their personal beliefs. But when they come together to confront their differences, they discover they have much in common. Both are single parents, raising adolescent daughters who don’t always share their parents’ beliefs. Ruth’s daughter has a Bible hidden in her room, and starts attending the Tabernacle with a friend. Tim dreams of a day when his daughter will ask to attend church with him.  

In a conflict that could have been black and white, Perrotta has created shades of gray, making it difficult to label right and wrong or good and evil. Characters that could have been stereotypes are made human in their struggles to determine and maintain their beliefs. 

Stonewood Heights is a suburb of homes and schools, malls and soccer fields, churches and movie theaters — a familiar scenario. The town’s residents are a mix of characters that are just as recognizable: religious fanatics and seekers, atheists and tolerant liberals, adolescents, and flawed parents who remember their own adolescence. 

Perrotta’s novel poses questions about the separation of church and state, issues of faith and unbelief, the power of a vocal minority, and the perils of parenting. Book groups brave enough to tackle these issues will be rewarded with lively discussions. As you consider the characters’ beliefs and actions, you may find yourself examining your own views and values.

* Janice Burwash is the senior associate at the Burlington Public Library. She can be reached at 360-755-0760 or .