About this item
Highlights
- "A quiet little stunner, written with the sure hand of an artist and the ear of a seasoned storyteller.
- Author(s): Jeannette Haien
- 160 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Literary
Description
About the Book
JeannetteHaien s award-winning first novel relates theseemingly simple tale of a parishioner confiding in her priest, but the tangledconfession brings secrets to light that provoke a moral quandary for not onlythe clergyman, but the reader as well. Set in a small town in Ireland, Haien s intimate novel of conversations anddilemmas perfect for readers of Paul Harding s Tinkers, Marilynne Robinson s Gilead, and Flannery O Connor sWise Blood is an elegantly written, compact and often subtle tale ofmorality and passion that gives voice to an age-old concern in a fresh way (NewYork Times Book Review).Harper Perennial breathes new life into this 1986 classic in a new edition withan introduction by Ann Patchett."
Book Synopsis
"A quiet little stunner, written with the sure hand of an artist and the ear of a seasoned storyteller." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Jeannette Haien's award-winning first novel relates the seemingly simple tale of a parishioner confiding in her priest, but the tangled confession brings secrets to light that provoke a moral quandary for not only the clergyman, but the reader as well. Perfect for readers of Claire Keegan.
While fishing in an Irish salmon stream one rainy morning, Father Declan de Loughry ponders the recent deathbed confession of his parishioner Kevin Dennehy. It seems Dennehy and his wife, Enda, had been quietly living a lie for fifty years. Yet the gravity of their deception doesn't become clear to the good father until Enda shares the full tale of her suffering, finally confiding "the all of it."
Haien's intimate novel of conversations and dilemmas--perfect for readers of Paul Harding's Tinkers, Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, and Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood--is "an elegantly written, compact and often subtle tale of morality and passion that gives voice to an age-old concern in a fresh way" hails the New York Times Book Review. This special edition includes an introduction by Ann Patchett.
From the Back Cover
While fishing in an Irish salmonstream one rainy morning, Father Declan de Loughryponders the recent deathbed confessionof his parishioner Kevin Dennehy.It seems Dennehy and his wife, Enda, had been quietly living a lie for fiftyyears. Yet the gravity of their deceptiondoesn't become clear to the good fatheruntil Enda shares the full tale of her suffering, finally confiding "the all of it."
Jeannette Haien's exquisite, awardwinningfirst novel is a deceptively simplestory that resonates with the powerof a modern-day myth--an unforgettablenarrative of transgression, empathy, and, ultimately, absolution.
Review Quotes
"One of the year's finest novels, a moral story of the most complex sort." -- Peter Prescott, Newsweek
"An elegantly written, compact and often subtle tale of morality and passion that gives voice to an age-old concern in a fresh way." -- New York Times Book Review
"Jeannette Haien is a writer of vast compassion, and her characters are rich in something all too rare these days: dignity." -- Newsday
"A quiet little stunner, written with the sure hand of an artist and the ear of a seasoned storyteller." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"A beautiful miniature, written by an author with a love of language and a flair for storytelling." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer