by James Martin
First published 2015
Anne struggles to survive each day after losing her young son. The divorced mother can barely function as grief consumes her daily existence. Mark once designed buildings as a successful architect but now fixes broken things for others while his own life remains shattered. He cannot understand how his promising career collapsed into manual labor and disappointment. Father Paul leads the Abbey of Saints Philip and James but questions whether his cloistered existence truly serves God or simply hides him from reality. When these three damaged people arrive at the Pennsylvania monastery, their separate searches for meaning begin to intersect. Anne carries the crushing weight of her child's death. Mark seeks answers about his derailed ambitions. Father Paul wrestles with doubts about his calling to religious life. Through their conversations and shared time at the abbey, each discovers that their pain and questions become pathways to unexpected healing and renewed purpose.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption
Setting: Abbey of Saints Philip and James, Pennsylvania
Period: contemporary
224 pages · Hardcover · HarperOne
Content warnings: mental-illness