A new book, The Church of 80% Sincerity (Perigee-Penguin) by David Roche of Roberts Creek is a quick read, but a lengthy ponder. The small, hard-cover book is written in clear, witty and often provocative gems honed by the author's experience of delivering one-liners at his many lectures and performances. The language is accessible; the author could be sitting opposite chatting. In fact, that's exactly what happened - Roche chatted with a crowd of about 60 people at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre last Sunday during the book's launch.
Roche opens the book with a bald statement: "I am facially disfigured." He was born with a benign congenital tumour on the left side of his face, his cheek is misshapen, his tongue enlarged, his lower lip removed by surgery. But the book is not a protracted wail - rather, quite the opposite. Roche had a relatively happy childhood in a loving family until puberty brought on body image issues. One of his most difficult experiences occurred as a teen at a seminary when he was rejected as a suitable candidate for the ministry because of his appearance. He was told that he would garner no respect as a priest. It is perhaps an element of revenge over this dismissal that gives the book its spark. Rejected by religion, Roche has set up his own personal church within his soul, one of 80 per cent sincerity, figuring that 80 per cent is as good as it gets.
"It's in that 20 per cent area where you get some slack and you can be yourself," he writes. The story of Roche's life, told in a sequence of defining moments, is about accepting oneself in spite of flaws. That he has accepted his physical appearance was evident at Sunday's book launch when Roche posed in front of a vibrant portrait of himself painted by local artist Maurice Spira.
Roche first found unconditional love in a nun's spontaneous embrace, and a chapter of the book is devoted to this concept. But the message is tempered by a cynical edge that proves that the man is human, full of foibles and contradictions, like all of us. In a foreword by a friend, the brilliant author Anne Lamott (Bird by Bird), she describes some of his material as "subversive contrary to everything society leads us to believe."
The big breakthrough for Roche took place during a defining moment when he realized that those who spit on him or turned away in disgust had their own set of problems. "That fear is not my face," he said. "That's your fear." They might feel awkwardness in how to relate to a disfigured person, or they might fear a contagious disease. Then, too, ugliness belongs with villains, for example, Quasimodo or Scarface - not exactly sympathetic characters. But the deepest fear comes from within, Roche maintains. Everyone feels that there is something wrong with them, even if it's not visible.
"My face is unique," he told the crowd, "but my experience is totally universal."
Roche, now in his 60s, lives part time in Cali-fornia and part time in Roberts Creek with his wife Marlena Blavin. The two go on speaking engagements together and have appeared at local schools. His one-man stage act has taken him abroad to great acclaim. In 2006, he appeared in the Bonnie Klein film, Shameless, about artists with disabilities.
The Church of 80% Sincerity is available at Talewind Books. I predict it will be a best seller.
