by Willa Cather
First published 2018
Father Jean Marie Latour arrives in New Mexico in 1851 to serve as Apostolic Vicar over a territory that stretches across red hills and winding arroyos. The land may belong to America by law, but Mexican and Indian traditions run deep in its customs and beliefs. Latour faces an immense challenge: how to spread Catholic faith across this unforgiving landscape while working with priests who range from neglectful to openly defiant. His only approach is gentle persistence, carried out over nearly four decades of service. The desert tests him with its harsh beauty and isolation. Time moves differently here, almost standing still, as Latour builds his ministry one soul at a time. Through his patient work, he discovers that true faith grows slowly, rooted in understanding rather than force. Cather follows this single life as it unfolds against the southwestern wilderness, showing how one man's quiet devotion shapes both himself and the land he serves.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, christianity, 19th-century, catholic
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, quiet-protagonist
Setting: New Mexico
Period: 1851
208 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform