by Jim Wallis
First published 2024
Laurel Mathewson loses her mother to cancer at twenty-one. The grief sends her searching for answers she doesn't expect to find. A skeptic by nature, Laurel experiences something that changes everything: an overwhelming sense of God's love and a clear message to "Turn to Teresa. She will guide you." Laurel knows this means Teresa of Avila, the sixteenth-century saint, but she has read almost nothing of her work. Even after becoming an Episcopal priest, Teresa's writings remained foreign territory. Now Laurel dives into The Interior Castle, Teresa's guide to the soul's journey toward God through prayer. Page by page, Teresa's insights illuminate Laurel's own spiritual path with startling clarity. The cynical young woman finds herself transformed by encounters with a God who defies her expectations. Through prayer and unexpected connections with others, Laurel discovers healing she never thought possible. Her journey reveals how God works through the ordinary moments of life, leading people who take their doubts seriously toward meaning and the certainty that they are deeply loved.
Genres: literary-fiction, christian-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, transformation
399 pages · Kindle Edition · Whitaker House