Faith

Faith by Jennifer Haigh
Harper Collins 2011

Having been brought up Catholic and having brought up two teenage sons during the years that the scandal in the church was just coming to light, I was interested in reading a story from the point of view of a family member of an accused priest. In Jennifer Haigh’s Faith we have Father Arthur Breen, a model priest, son, brother, ultimate rule-follower who is accused of molesting a young boy whose family he’s been helping out. His half-sister Sheila narrates the story as events unfold. During Holy Week in 2002, Art is summoned to the headquarters of the Boston Archdiocese, told he’s been accused of something inappropriate, not given the name of the accuser, and told that he’s to immediately vacate Church premises, move to an apartment they’ve rented for him, and placed on leave. He is stunned by the allegation, but true to form, obeys his orders. Because much of what happens in our childhood affects us later in life, it’s important to learn about Art’s past. Probably the most life-altering occurrence was his father walking out of his life forever when Art was just a baby. This one, irresponsible and thoughtless act left young Art with no father figure to look up to, other than a family friend who happened to be a priest. When Art was in his teens his mother married Ted McGann, a man who viewed Art as being in the way. Always knowing he wanted to join the priesthood, Art joined the seminary as soon as he was of age, was ordained, and “served without incident” in a number of parishes throughout the archdiocese until these accusations. Art grew up having intimacy issues and being confused about his own sexuality.

When he is accused, some of his family members believe in his innocence while others were on the fence. At first Sheila is certain Art could not possibly have committed such an act, while her brother Mike seems to believe the charges right from the start. Although Art insists he did not commit the crime for which he is accused, he does not appear to be defending himself, and this leads Sheila to wonder why.

Jennifer Haigh weaves a thoughtful, thought provoking human story about what happens when you wrong someone. Its familiar Boston area setting makes it feel as though you’re reading about your own neighborhood. And as you read this tragic story, it makes you wonder if perhaps some of the clergymen accused were actually innocent, but settled their cases to make them go away.

- Elaine

Woman in Black

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Vintage (reprint) 2012

Dreary rainy days are perhaps the best for this 1983 ghost tale from English author Susan Hill. Cold, damp days will either give you the feeling you are safe from the marsh and the sea frets in your cozy, well-lit house, or for those with a darker turning or a more Victorian style house, that you are in Eel Marsh House itself. The Woman in Black is different from other ghost stories as the protagonist, a young solicitor from London, never doubts that the strange noises and ghostly apparition of the woman in black are part of a haunting. It is the ending that gets you, even though it may not surprise you. That and the fact that the woman in black is truly menacing. She has a decidedly evil aura about her.

The book is certainly scary enough. Not as frightening as the new movie starring Daniel Radcliffe makes it out to be though. There is no blood or gore. It’s that slow kind of creepy. Well-written with a well developed protagonist and a brooding atmosphere, this is a treat to read. It is quick and small; something to take your mind from whatever weighty tomb you happened to be stuck in the middle of or as an interlude before you start the next modern romance/tragedy your book club delved up.

If you liked The Thirteenth Tale, Her Fearful Symmetry or The Haunting of Hill House, if you are a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, or if you simply can’t stand seeing a movie without reading the book first, then this is for you.