Synopses & Reviews
A fearless debut novel about the restorative power of truth and love after the trauma of abuse.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;As sixteen-year-old Aidan Donovanand#8217;s fractured family disintegrates around him, he searches for solace in a few bumps of Adderall, his fatherand#8217;s wet bar, and the attentions of his local priest, Father Gregand#8212;the only adult who actually listens to him.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;When Christmas hits, Aidanand#8217;s world collapses in a crisis of trust when he recognizes the darkness of Father Gregand#8217;s affections. He turns to a crew of new friends to help make sense of his life: Josie, the girl he just might love; Sophie, whoand#8217;s a little wild; and Mark, the charismatic swim team captain whose own secret agonies converge with Aidanand#8217;s.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;I andgt;The Gospel of Winter andlt;/Iandgt;maps the ways love can be used as a weapon against the innocentand#8212;but can also, in the right hands, restore hope and even faith. Brendan Kielyand#8217;s unflinching and courageous debut novel exposes the damage from the secrets we keep and proves that in truth, there is power. And real love.
Review
"'We live in a world of consequence and effect,' says the 16-year-old narrator of andlt;iandgt;The Gospel of Winterandlt;/iandgt;, a book that will be as satisfying to literary readers as it will to young adults. This is a novel that captures the pulse of a contemporary wound, a truth that needs to be told about the shameful issue of abuse within our society. It is also a novel that examines the faultlines of love, family, adolesence, faith and belonging. Brendan Kiely has written a novel that is both unflinching and redemptive."
Review
"andlt;iandgt;The Gospel of Winterandlt;/iandgt; comes to us in full flower, a rich, complex, wise, beautifully written novel and a compelling read."
Review
"'We live in a world of consequence and effect,' says the 16-year-old narrator of The Gospel of Winter, a book that will be as satisfying to literary readers as it will to young adults. This is a novel that captures the pulse of a contemporary wound, a truth that needs to be told about the shameful issue of abuse within our society. It is also a novel that examines the faultlines of love, family, adolesence, faith and belonging. Brendan Kiely has written a novel that is both unflinching and redemptive." --Colum McCann, < i=""> New York Times <> Bestselling author of < i=""> Let the Great World Spin <> and w
Review
"The Gospel of Winter comes to us in full flower, a rich, complex, wise, beautifully written novel and a compelling read." Frederic Tuten, author of Tintin in the New World
Review
andlt;Iandgt;"The Gospel of Winter andlt;/Iandgt;marks Brendan Kielyand#8217;s auspicious debut as a novelist. Kiely deftly captures the difficulty of becoming oneself in a world filled with contradictions and mixed messages, artfully drawing us into the complex story of a young manand#8217;s search for identity, for comfort, for faith. Aidan Donovan's struggle to find truth lives in all of usand#8212;his pain and hope are both resonant and transformative."
Review
* "Kielyand#8217;s impressive debut takes a controversial topicand#8212;sexual abuse in the Catholic Churchand#8212;and addresses it head-on with sensitivity and finesse....Kiely hits his mark with a sickening portrayal of Father Greg and those who let his behavior continue. But itand#8217;s the combination of Aidanand#8217;s vulnerability, denial, and silent rage that makes the novel so distressingly vivid and real."
Review
* "In a lyrical and hard-hitting exploration of betrayal and healing, the son of a Connecticut socialite comes to terms with his abuse at the hands of a beloved priest. Each of Aidanand#8217;s relationships is carefully and subtly drawn, revealed slowly through Aidanand#8217;s elegant, pained and often circumspect narration. Often bleak, eventually hopeful and beautifully told."
Review
"Brendan Kiely's finely tuned debut accomplishes something rare--it pulls you into its main character's pain and truth without letting you forget how beautiful the world, and people, can really be. An emotional coming of age story that you won't soon forget."
Review
* "Kielyand#8217;s gutsy debut addresses abuse in the Catholic Church. This is challenging, thought-provoking material, presented in beautiful prose, which explores the ways in which acts rendered in the name of love can both destroy and heal."
About the Author
Brendan Kielyandnbsp;received his MFA from the City College of New York.andnbsp; His debut novel, andlt;iandgt;The Gospel of Winterandlt;/iandgt;, has been published in eight languages, was selected as one of the American Library Associationandrsquo;s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults 2015, and was a andlt;iandgt;Kirkus Reviews andlt;/iandgt;selection for the Best of 2014. Originally from the Boston area, heandnbsp;now lives with his wife in Greenwich Village. Find out more at BrendanKiely.com.