by J. F. Powers
First published 1988
Joe Hackett once ran track in high school and dreamed of becoming a saint. He wore a hair shirt and burned with religious fervor. Seminary training and his early years as a priest slowly wore down that passion. Now Father Joe has his own parish in suburban Inglenook, where he finds comfort in baseball games and cold beer instead of spiritual devotion. His superiors demand higher collection plate revenues. The town's major corporation wants him to bless their new missile production line. The Vietnam War rages in the background while Joe tries to avoid taking any meaningful stands. He wants to keep his head down and get by without trouble. But circumstances eventually force him into a position where he must act according to his conscience, whether he likes it or not. Powers crafts a story about what happens when youthful idealism meets the mundane realities of institutional religion and American commerce.
Genres: literary-fiction, christian-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, catholic
Vibes: character-driven, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-growth, idealism-vs-reality
Setting: Inglenook
Period: Vietnam War
352 pages · Hardcover · Chatto & Windus