Gilda is an atheist lesbian who takes a job as an administrative assistant at a Catholic church, St. Rigobert. She lives a life of lies while interacting with her boss, Father Jeff, and others at the church. She even pretends to be Grace Moppet, her predecessor, when she answers emails sent by Grace’s friend. But, unfortunately, Grace was dead; pretending to be Grace gave Gilda opportunities to play out her obsession and preoccupation with death.
Additionally, Gilda “dates” Giuseppe, a man with whom the church people match Gilda. All the while, she keeps her work life and other secrets from Eleanor, a woman with whom she is in a relationship. She also has a deceitful and dysfunctional relationship with her parents and brother Eli, which probably accounts for her obsession with death and pessimism. Through continual reminiscing about her youth and upbringing, we realize that Gilda was bullied as a child and had few friends. We also learn that her parents were in denial about her brother’s addiction issues and misunderstood much about Gilda.
Gilda is suicidal, and she visits the emergency room frequently. She feels trapped and has difficulty facing reality. She ignores the basic upkeep of her apartment. The author paints a dismal picture of dirty dishes stuffed in closets and a general disregard for minimal effort to live in a comfortable home. Gilda has a dark spirit and does not believe she deserves happiness. The character frequently uses the word dread, and her dreadful existence indicates the author’s statement about both the human spirit and organized religion.
Emily Austin creates a satirical statement about the Catholic church and religion in general through the Gilda character. Not only does the priest hire Gilda without checking references, but he is moronic enough to entrust her with the church’s computer and correspondence while providing little supervision. Gilda’s damage to the church email accounts and her ignorance about church matters is sometimes hilarious. Still, sadly, both the priest and Gilda remind us of real-life situations where uninformed people are allowed to influence unsuspecting lives.
“When I think about the Catholic church, and about most religions in general, my theory is that they came to be as a solution to our existential dread. It’s comforting to imagine that everyone who is dead is just waiting for us in the next room. It’s calming to imagine that we have an all-powerful father who is watching over us, and who loves us.”
(p. 170). Kindle Edition.
