Faith
Published on 1. September 2011
320 pages
978-0-00-742365-1 (ISBN)
Description
One woman's search for the truth after scandal rocks her family, and the explosive family secrets she uncovers, in this complex, moving fourth novel from bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Haigh.
In THE LOST GOSPEL, Jennifer Haigh explores the repercussions of one family's history of silence, when a priest's sex scandal forces his family's untold past to surface. Art, Sheila, and Mike are siblings in a large extended Irish-American family from the Boston suburbs. Though their father is a non-believer, their mother is Lace Curtain Irish-Catholic, having raised her children to keep family secrets just that, secrets, in a home where most subjects are taboo.
Sheila is concerned when Art, beloved priest leading a major Catholic parish outside Boston, seems to fall off the grid just days before Easter. Then the news breaks that he has been accused of sexual misconduct. The media coverage shatters the community and pits Art's family members against one another, leaving Sheila determined to uncover the truth and-she hopes-clear his name.
Now that Sheila's in town and determined to help prove Art's innocence, she finds herself locking horns with her younger brother, Mike, who cannot shake the feeling that Art might be guilty.
By turns disturbed by what Art might have done and furious at the seemingly unfair accusations, the truth remains elusive for readers in this artfully-crafted family drama.
In THE LOST GOSPEL, Jennifer Haigh explores the repercussions of one family's history of silence, when a priest's sex scandal forces his family's untold past to surface. Art, Sheila, and Mike are siblings in a large extended Irish-American family from the Boston suburbs. Though their father is a non-believer, their mother is Lace Curtain Irish-Catholic, having raised her children to keep family secrets just that, secrets, in a home where most subjects are taboo.
Sheila is concerned when Art, beloved priest leading a major Catholic parish outside Boston, seems to fall off the grid just days before Easter. Then the news breaks that he has been accused of sexual misconduct. The media coverage shatters the community and pits Art's family members against one another, leaving Sheila determined to uncover the truth and-she hopes-clear his name.
Now that Sheila's in town and determined to help prove Art's innocence, she finds herself locking horns with her younger brother, Mike, who cannot shake the feeling that Art might be guilty.
By turns disturbed by what Art might have done and furious at the seemingly unfair accusations, the truth remains elusive for readers in this artfully-crafted family drama.
Reviews / Votes
'Haigh's writing is rich and mellifluous' The Times Praise for THE CONDITION 'With humour, grace and an abiding compassion that is becoming her signature, Jennifer Haigh illuminates the dark tangle of desire and deed that is the family, that crucible we so often yearn to flee yet keep coming back to again and again. The Condition is unsentimental, compelling and moving, and I urge you to read it!' Andre Dubus III, NYT bestselling author of House of Sand and Fog 'The ailment at the centre of this remarkable novel is the human condition itself. Jennifer Haigh has written a sprawling, emotionally gripping account of one family's troubled history, enlivened by her formidable intelligence and deep insight into her character's hearts and minds.' Tom Perrotta, bestselling author of Little Children 'Haigh creates a realistic family dynamic from richly drawn characters, capturing the family members' various expectations of assumptions about one another. Compelling; highly recommended for all fiction collections.' Library JournalMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Reflowable
File size
1,72 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-00-742365-1 (9780007423651)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Jennifer Haigh is the author of The Condition, Baker Towers, and Mrs. Kimble. Her fiction has appeared in Granta, Ploughshares, Good Housekeeping, and elsewhere. She lives in the Boston area.
