Vestments - by John Reimringer (Paperback)

About the Book

"Let me begin today, illumined by Thy light, to destroy this part of the natural man which lives in me in its entirety, the obstacle that constantly keeps me from Thy Love."
Taught this prayer as a boy by his grandfather, James Dressler recites it each time he's tempted by earthly desires. Originally drawn to the priesthood by the mystery, purity, and sensual fabric of the Church, as well as by its promise of a safe harbor from his tempestuous home, James finds himself -- just a few years after his ordination -- attracted again to his first love, Betty Garcia. Torn between these opposing desires, and haunted by his familial heritage, James finds himself at a crossroads. Exploring issues in the Catholic Church and in life, and infused throughout by a rich sense of the history and vibrant texture of St. Paul, this is an utterly honest and subtly lyrical novel.

Book Synopsis

A priest struggling with temptation moves back into his working-class childhood home in this "suspenseful, illuminating, and highly readable saga" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Let me begin today, illumined by Thy light, to destroy this part of the natural man which lives in me in its entirety, the obstacle that constantly keeps me from Thy Love...

Taught this prayer as a boy by his grandfather, James Dressler recites it each time he's tempted by earthly desires. Originally drawn to the priesthood by the mystery, purity, and sensual fabric of the Church, as well as by its promise of a safe harbor from his tempestuous home, James nevertheless finds himself--just a few years after his ordination--living at home: saying Mass for his mother at the dining room table; avoiding his pugilistic father; playing basketball; preparing to officiate at his brother's wedding, and becoming attracted again to his first love, Betty García.

Torn between these opposing desires, and haunted by his familial heritage, James finds himself at a crossroads. Exploring age-old yet urgently contemporary issues in the Catholic Church, and infused throughout with a rich sense of the history and vibrant texture of St. Paul, Minnesota, this is an utterly honest novel filled with "thoughtful themes and lyrical prose" (Booklist).

"Deeply rooted in history, burning with family furies, and told by a narrator-priest you find yourself rooting for (and wondering about), this is a captivating novel, scene by scene." --Patricia Hampl, author of The Florist's Daughter

Review Quotes

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

MINNESOTA BOOK AWARD WINNER

"Reimringer knows well the landscape of the Catholic Church--seminary mentoring, rectory loneliness, the bonding of men of the cloth--and he writes about these things with a combination of affection and ruthless honesty. He also knows the fragility of the human heart, broken as is the body of Christ at Eucharist, with an embedded promise of healing."
--America: The Catholic Weekly

Vestments is a pitch-perfect account of priestly life.
--Commonweal

"Luminous. . . [a] beautiful debut."
--Pioneer Press

"A stunning debut."
--ForeWord Reviews

"In this potent debut about a wayward yet devout young priest who struggles to reconcile his faith with longings of the flesh, Reimringer has crafted a suspenseful, illuminating, and highly readable saga. . . . Reimringer excels, most notably, at revealing how the sensual delectations of Catholic ritual and the forbidden delights of the flesh are part of the same continuum, as sin and repentance feed off each other."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Through his thoughtful themes and lyrical prose, Reimringer effortlessly restores a measure of dignity to the priesthood even as he pays tender homage to the working-class roots of St. Paul."
--Booklist

"A plainspoken but finely turned debut novel. . . [James Dressler] is full-blooded in a way fictional proests so often aren't, and he stars in an admirably complex study of family ties."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Ribald and wry, concerned at heart with faith and forgiveness, Vestments is a rich, involving debut."
--Stewart O'Nan, bestselling author of Emily, Alone

"This book knows the soul of the great old city: the yellowing taverns and fraying neighborhoods, the sense of grace in decline, the doubtful saints wrangling their disbelief. John Reimringer writes with the confidence and observation of one who was there at the time and is there still, and his novel has the knuckles and shouting and beer breath of glory."
--Leif Enger, author of Peace Like a River

"In this memorable, skillful novel, Reimringer writes compassionately about the tie between violence and yearning, the calls of the body and the calls of the spirit. Many writers can write well about one or the other. The gift of this writer is his rich understanding and love of both. Vestments is a wise, wide, and eloquent book."
--Erin McGraw, author of Lies of the Saints

"Deeply rooted in history, burning with family furies, and told by a narrator-priest you find yourself rooting for (and wondering about), this is a captivating novel, scene by scene."
--Patricia Hampl, author of The Florist's Daughter

"A compelling tale that provides a little-seen, interior, first-person point of view of the priesthood."
--Library Journal