Faith

Touching on one of today's hot-button topics, pedophilic priests, Faith is an exercise in rollercoaster emotions. This story explores the heart-rending situation of Father Art Breen, who finds himself accused of sexually abusing a young boy in his church. Set against the backdrop of multiple accusations in one city, the aura of hysteria is palpable. This is not, however, your typical drama-laden movie-of-the-week in book form. I came to this book with certain expectations, yet it went in a completely different direction than I anticipated. Motivations and actions are not always what they seem, and there is much here that was unexpected. Haigh always seems to have some twist up her sleeve, indicating what a great storyteller she is. Her characters feel like real people, and her prose is absolutely beautiful. My bet is that you won't be able to put this one down. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com

It is the spring of 2002 and a perfect storm has hit Boston. Across the citys archdiocese, trusted priests have been accused of the worst possible betrayal of the souls in their care. Estranged for years from her difficult and demanding family, Sheila McGann has remained close to her older brother, Art, the popular, dynamic pastor of a large suburban parish. When Art finds himself at the center of the maelstrom, Sheila returns to Boston, ready to fight for him and his reputation. But what she discovers is more complicated than she imagined as the scandal forces long-buried secrets to surface.

Elegantly crafted and sharply observed, Jennifer Haighs Faith is a haunting meditation on loyalty and family that demonstrates how the truth can shatter our deepest beliefs—and restore them.

“FAITH is so emotionally rich, and its story so deftly delivered, that were absorbed.” Wall Street Journal

“Luminous. . . . The novel has the magnetic, page-turning quality of a detective thriller, but the clues here lead not to objective proof but to insight into a family both vividly specific and astonishingly universal. . . . . Wise.” O magazine

“A masterpiece of tension and tenderness.” More magazine

“Haigh deals with complex moral issues in subtle ways, and her narrative is beautifully, sometimes achingly poignant.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Haighs fourth novel draws you in. . . . Youll be hypnotized until you know where it stops.” Self

“Expertly wrought. . . . Ms. Haigh, a subtle, serious novelist who happens to have a flair for capturing troubled family dynamics, never allows FAITH to become predictable. . . . Gripping. . . . Substantial.” New York Times

“Both riveting and profound. . . . An incredibly suspenseful novel.” Washington Post

“With an exquisite sense of drama and mystery, Haigh delivers a taut, well-crafted tale. . . . Indelibly rendered characters, suspenseful pacing, and fearless but sensitive handling of a controversial subject will make this a must-read for book discussion groups.” Booklist (starred review)

Haigh is] an expertnatural storyteller with an acute sense of her characters' humanity. --NewYork Times

We have the intriguing possibility that the next great American author is already in print. --Fort Worth Star-Telegram

When Sheila McGann setsout to redeem her disgraced brother, a once-beloved Catholic priest in suburban Boston, her quest will force her to confront cataclysmic truths about herfractured Irish-American family, her beliefs, and, ultimately, herself. Award-winning author Jennifer Haigh follows hercritically acclaimed novels Mrs. Kimble and The Condition with a captivating, vividly rendered portrait of fraying family ties, and the trials of belief anddevotion, in Faith.
--O magazine

"[Haigh is] an expertnatural storyteller with an acute sense of her characters' humanity." —NewYork Times
 
"We have the intriguing possibility that the nextgreat American author is already in print." —Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
When Sheila McGann setsout to redeem her disgraced brother, a once-beloved Catholic priest in suburbanBoston, her quest will force her to confront cataclysmic truths about herfractured Irish-American family, her beliefs, and, ultimately, herself.Award-winning author Jennifer Haigh follows hercritically acclaimed novels Mrs. Kimbleand The Condition with a captivating,vividly rendered portrait of fraying family ties, and the trials of belief anddevotion, in Faith.

Jennifer Haigh is the author of the short story collection News From Heaven and four critically acclaimed novels:  Faith, The Condition, Baker Towers and Mrs. Kimble. Her books have won both the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction and the PEN/L.L. Winship Award for work by a New England writer. Her short fiction has been published widely, in The Atlantic, Granta, The Best American Short Stories 2012, and many other publications. She lives in the Boston area.