What I Really Think of You

The daughter of faith-healing Christians and the son of a TV evangelist are the stars of this lively cautionary tale about religion, family, faith, and love

I start my story with the day I first saw Jesse Pegler. That was when my whole life first started changing.

Sixteen-year-old Opal Ringer is the daughter of Royal Ringer, the Pentecostal leader of a motley flock of down-on-their-luck believers. Jesse Pegler is the son of Brother Pegler. An “evangelist for Jesus,” the elder Pegler is a flashy minister who appears regularly on television in his blue robes and gold tassels. Opal and Jesse meet at a faith healing at the Helping Hand Tabernacle church, where Opal’s daddy preaches. Jesse, with his soft eyes and sandy hair, is a younger version of his older brother, Bud, who ran away from the religious life—and whom Opal can’t forget.

Alternating between Opal and Jesse’s perspectives, What I Really Think of You follows two preachers’ kids as they make fascinating discoveries about their faith, their families, and themselves.