Review: Faith by Jennifer Haigh

Arthur (Art) Breen became a priest when he was quite young, a career path that was expected of such a respectable young Catholic man. The Church was his entire life, starting at a very young age.  It was all he knew; he didn’t get to experience his teenage years like many other boys of his age.

When he’s accused of  abusing a child, Art doesn’t know how to react. Suddenly, he is forced out of the only world in which he knew.  His half-sister, Sheila, narrates the saga that ensues after the claims are filed. Art, so used to living as a man of the cloth, is forced to realized he is indeed a human, with human emotions and pain.  As his saga is told, the reader learns of family secrets, both old and new, that question the faith of this family.

It is important to note that this isn’t simply a story of priest abuse in the Catholic Church.  While Haigh does touch on the controversey that surrounds this topic, the story is really about the Breen/McGann family and the means in which the deal with the accusations laid upon Art.  The family was never really good about communicating; Art didn’t know much about his birth father, there were so many family secrets left hidden.  No one ever asked questions, burying the past seemed to be easier than revealing it.

Haigh does a tremendously outstanding job of plotting and laying out the characters.  While the criminal accusations are against Art, he’s not the “bad guy” in this situation, but the vicitim of years of circumstances. As the child of his mother’s first marriage, he was never really part of the McGann family.  He resembled his mother more, both physically and emotionally. He wasn’t your typical boy, didn’t play sports or any of the “normal” adolescent boy things.  He didn’t really bond with his step-father and half-brothers and sisters. 

However, years later, when a horrible past is unveiled, the family comes together to protect Art and his good name.  It’s not automatic, however.  Art’s mother is sure of her son’s innocence. Sheila, after hearing of some of the events of the past, questions Art’s innocence. His half-brother, Mike, assumes at first that Art is guilty. He never felt that brotherly bond with Art.  Art was always so different thant he other children in the family. Mike undertakes an investigation of the crime himself, using some pretty immoral and unethical means to get to the truth.  Unfortunately, the timing is too late and Art is forced to bear most of the weight that is forced on his being, his very soul.

Those wary of reading Faith for fear that it is a bashing of the Catholic faith, fear not.  This novel is a breathtaking and often painful look at the effects of family secrets, of false accusations and their effects on the soul. As a society, we often rush to make judgements, accusations, never really thinking of their outcomes. Faith forces us to question faith, not faith in the church but faith in other people. 

If you enjoy truly thoughtful books about family dynamics, Faith is the book for you.  Highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to participate in this tour.  Please be sure to check out the other participating blogs:

Tuesday, May 10th: Booking Mama
Wednesday, May 11th: The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness
Thursday, May 12th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Friday, May 13th: 5 Minutes for Books
Monday, May 16th: Hospitable Pursuits
Tuesday, May 17th: The House of the Seven Tails
Wednesday, May 18th: nomadreader
Thursday, May 19th: Bookchickdi
Friday, May 20th: Stargazerpuj’s Book Blog
Monday, May 23rd: As I turn the pages
Tuesday, May 24th: Books in the City
Wednesday, May 25th: Life In Review
Thursday, May 26th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books
Friday, May 27th: The Prissy Book Snob
Monday, May 30th: Bookstack
Tuesday, May 31st: Confessions of a Rambling Mind
Wednesday, June 1st: Colloquium
Thursday, June 2nd: Proud Book Nerd
Friday, June 3rd: My Reading Room
Monday, June 6th: Reading Between the Lines
Tuesday, June 7th: A Cozy Reader’s Corner
Wednesday, June 8th: Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, June 9th: The Book Chick
Friday, June 10th: BookNAround
Tuesday, June 14th: Rundpinne
Wednesday, June 15th: For the love of books
Thursday, June 16th: Literate Housewife
Friday, June 17th: Amused By Books