Synopses & Reviews
A sleeper hit when first published in 1986, Jeannette Haien's exquisite, beloved first novel is a deceptively simple story that has the power and resonance of myth. The story begins on a rainy morning as Father Declan de Loughry stands fishing in an Irish salmon stream, pondering the recent deathbed confession of one of his parishioners. Kevin Dennehy and his wife, Enda, have been sweetly living a lie for some 50 years, a lie the full extent of which Father Declan learns only when Enda finally confides the all of it. Her tale of suffering mesmerizes the priest, who recognizes that it is also a tale of sin and scandal, a transgression he cannot ignore. The resolution of his dilemma is a triumph of strength and empathy that, as Benedict Kiely has said, makes The All of It a book to remember.
Synopsis
"A quiet little stunner, written with the sure hand of an artist and the ear of a seasoned storyteller." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Jeannette Haien's award-winning first novel relates the seemingly simple tale of a parishioner confiding in her priest, but the tangled confession brings secrets to light that provoke a moral quandary for not only the clergyman, but the reader as well.
While fishing in an Irish salmon stream one rainy morning, Father Declan de Loughry ponders the recent deathbed confession of his parishioner Kevin Dennehy. It seems Dennehy and his wife, Enda, had been quietly living a lie for fifty years. Yet the gravity of their deception doesn't become clear to the good father until Enda shares the full tale of her suffering, finally confiding "the all of it."
Haien's intimate novel of conversations and dilemmas--perfect for readers of Paul Harding's Tinkers, Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, and Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood--is "an elegantly written, compact and often subtle tale of morality and passion that gives voice to an age-old concern in a fresh way" hails the New York Times Book Review. This special edition includes an introduction by Ann Patchett.
Synopsis
JeannetteHaiens award-winning first novel relates theseemingly simple tale of a parishioner confiding in her priest, but the tangledconfession brings secrets to light that provoke a moral quandary for not onlythe clergyman, but the reader as well. Set in a small town in Ireland, Haiens intimate novel of conversations anddilemmas—perfect for readers of Paul Hardings Tinkers, Marilynne Robinsons Gilead, and Flannery OConnorsWise Blood—is “an elegantly written, compact and often subtle tale ofmorality and passion that gives voice to an age-old concern in a fresh way” (NewYork Times Book Review).Harper Perennial breathes new life into this 1986 classic in a new edition withan introduction by Ann Patchett.
Synopsis
While fishing in an Irish salmonstream one rainy morning,Father Declan de Loughryponders the recent deathbed confessionof his parishioner Kevin Dennehy.It seems Dennehy and his wife, Enda,had been quietly living a lie for fiftyyears. Yet the gravity of their deceptiondoesnt become clear to the good fatheruntil Enda shares the full tale of her suffering,finally confiding “the all of it.”
Jeannette Haiens exquisite, awardwinningfirst novel is a deceptively simplestory that resonates with the powerof a modern-day myth—an unforgettablenarrative of transgression, empathy,and, ultimately, absolution.
About the Author
Jeannette Haien is the author of the acclaimed novel The All of It , winner of the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In addition to her career as a writer, Jeannette Haien is well known as a concert pianist and teacher. She and her husband, a lawyer, live in New York City and Connemara, Ireland.