Sufficient Grace

One quiet spring day, Gracie Hollaman hears voices in her head that tell her to get in her car and leave her entire life behind — her home, her husband, her daughter, her very identity. Gracie's subsequent journey releases her genius for painting and effects profound changes in the lives of everyone around her. Ultimately, her quest leads her into the home of Mama Toot and Mattie, two strong, accomplished women going through life changes of their own. As the bonds between these women grow stronger, and the family Gracie left behind come to terms with their own loss, both worlds slowly and inevitably collide, revealing a long-buried secret that they share.

A spellbinding debut novel, Sufficient Grace explores the power of personal transformation and redemption, and the many ordinary and extraordinary ways they come to pass through faith, love, motherhood, art, even food. Even though we sometimes have to leave behind an old identity in order to discover our soul, this poignant, poetic study of the human condition affirms the enduring importance of relationships and the strength we derive from them.

"In her moving debut novel, Arnoult chronicles a Southern middle-aged wife and mother's descent into schizophrenia and the two families — one white, one black — transformed by her. When Gracie Hollaman goes missing, her husband, Ed, is convinced she's left him — but in fact, Gracie has left herself, at the behest of disembodied voices, for a hallucinatory world '[i]n the narrow space between what is real and what is not.' Gracie wanders into the small African-American town of Rockrun and is taken into the bustling household of Mama Toot and Mattie, a mother and her widowed daughter-in-law beset by grief. Compulsive and adamant, Gracie clings to painting rituals and the voices in her head, defying her family's attempts to reclaim her after Toot tracks them down: ' 'My circle's closing. I need to be the ex-wife.' ' The circle Gracie refers to finds expression throughout the book — one circle must be closed before another can begin — as each character learns how to say good-bye to her old life and begin anew. In brisk scenes, Arnoult's rhythmic prose beautifully reveals the human potential for unconditional love and faith, and wholly convinces us — despite the heartache her mental illness causes — of Gracie's essential wisdom and worthiness. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

This spellbinding debut novel explores the power of personal transformation and redemption, and the many extraordinary ways they come to pass.

Gracie Hollaman hears voices in her head that tell her to get in a car and leave her entire life behind. On her journey, she meets Mama Toot and Mattie, while at home her husband Ed struggles to begin a new life for himself. Arnoult's debut novel explores the power of personal transformation and redemption--and the many extraordinary ways they come to pass.

Contents

Invitation

Offertory

Passion

Commitment

Sufficient Grace

Second Offering

Benediction

Acknowledgments