** spoiler alert ** I love this book. I'd classify it not as a biography of a single person, but of a marriage. I read this book before I was married, and I feel like it "gave me permission" to long for a level of emotional intimacy with my future marriage partner that I may not otherwise have known existed!

I was coming from a place at the time where I didn't have very many male friends. All my closest friends were my girlfriends, many of whom I considered "kindred spirits" or "soulmates." I almost couldn't fathom having that type of a relationship with someone of the opposite gender!

This book really opened my eyes to the fact that not only is it possible -- it's ideal! Sheldon & Davey, the two main characters in this book literally became best friends, soulmates on their journey towards marriage.

Sheldon & Davey did a lot of radical things in their relationship that sort of became goals (or at least ideals) for me as I looked towards my future. They were radical about eradicating materialism from their lives, they were committed to not living life according to the status quo, they were serious about making people a priority, and they were diligent about investing in intimacy with each other.

Here are some amazing memories from this book that I will never forget... Sheldon & Davey taking hammers to their brand new car. They knew it would get dented eventually -- better to never take pride in it to begin with than get wrapped up in materialism and then have it come crashing down with the first fender bender... Sheldon & Davey selling everything and buying a houseboat. They set out on an adventure -- couldn't see the end of the story, but knew they wanted something different than normal existance. Sheldon & Davey (after settling down on land again) opening up their home to student groups, Bible studies, extending hospitality to many people... and of course, my favorite... Sheldon & Davey stopping at nothing to grow in their love for each other. I vividly remember reading about the hours Sheldon spent listening to LP after LP of classical music, which he had no taste for... simply because he knew Davey loved it. He knew that if she loved it, there was something worth loving in it -- and he wanted to grow to love the things that she loved. I remind myself of this as my husband beckons me to watch his final battle with "The Head Boss" on on "Zelda" for the fifth time :0)

And of course I have to mention the other dimensions this book addresses too:
Being married to an unbelieving spouse,
The long, hard road of authentic conversion to the Christian faith,
An inside peek at the heart of C.S. Lewis through his correspondance with Sheldon & Davey,
A husband's tempation to have an affair with another woman,
Experiencing the terminal illness and death of a soulmate.

It's no surpise that when Mike (my husband) asked me whether I'd be interested in dating him, my response was "That sounds good... and would you mind if we read one of my favorite books together as part of our dating relationship? It's called A Severe Mercy."

--Jen