by J. F. Powers
First published 1975
Father Bill navigates the complexities of parish life in small-town America. He encounters the Folks family and their everyday struggles, witnesses the quiet dramas that unfold among his parishioners, and grapples with his own calling. The Keystone community presents him with moral dilemmas that test his faith and patience. Fellow clergy members share their own burdens during moments of priestly fellowship, while Bill observes how ordinary people live their lives with the same persistence as fish swimming upstream. From moonlit conversations to farewell gatherings, these interconnected stories reveal the tension between spiritual ideals and human frailty. Bill must find his way through the contradictions of serving a community where faith and doubt exist side by side.
Genres: fiction, drama, christian-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, spiritual-crisis
Setting: Keystone, Small-Town America
Period: 20th-Century
190 pages · Hardcover · Knopf