The Communion of the Saint
We’re happy to announce the addition of The Communion of the Saint by Alan David Justice. Enjoy this interesting mix of historical fantasy and magical realism:
Clio Griffin, an out-of-work academic with an attitude and a tendency toward sarcasm, travels to England to interview for a last-chance job–as the pet historian for an antiquarian group who hope to use her to build the reputation of the local saint–Alban, the first Christian martyr of Britain.
No sooner does she arrive than the saint, dead for seventeen centuries, starts talking to her–out loud. The voice is hard enough for Clio to take; her mother, in her final illness, had lost touch with reality, and Clio fears the same fate. When the saint drags her unwilling into the past, to live the lives of people long dead, Clio fights to hold on to her reason. At the same time, in “ordinary” life, she starts to define–and have defined for her–a place in the life of the town. The resident mystic takes a liking to her; when she dies, she leaves everything to Clio. The sexton of the cathedral becomes a malevolent presence who threatens Clio at unforseen intervals. She falls in love with an Anglican priest on the cathedral staff, who is jealous of the very mystical experiences Clio struggles to deny.
When the the past itself comes to life in Clio’s present, in the person of a medieval plague victim who appears in her living room, Clio must choose between her rationalism and her compassion for the dying young man. Her decision lands her in a mental hospital, where she has to confront both the fear of losing her reason and the reality of her experiences.
When Clio gains her release from the psychiatric ward, her psychiatrist, like many others, asks her to pray for him. As she re-enters the community, she finds that other people, whom she doesn’t even know, have been taking care of the cottage left her by the mystic. When her employer is injured in an auto accident, Clio’s half-believed prayers seem to lead to a miraculous healing.
Throughout the story, past and present are shuffled like two halves of the same deck of cards. With each descent into history, Clio learns about other lives. With each return to the present, she has to make sense of her own life in light of what she’s learned.
THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINT (the title is a paraphrase of a line from the Apostle’s Creed) is a novel of past and present, skepticism and belief.
The story question: how does a modern, skeptical, rational person fit the irrational, the supernatural, into her life and still make some kind of sense of it all?
The answer: not easily.
April 14th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Enjoyed the book. Wasn’t sure I would like a book focused so much on religion but it turns out it was more about ghosts and paranormal things than religion.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Since I first began listening to podiobooks last December (2007), I have listened to many and this is, thus far, my favorite. The characters were intense, the plot well thought out, and the dialogue believable. I loved the way it was told as a first person narrative (not an easy feat), and the way the main character jumped between time periods. I’m not a religious person, but I wasn’t the least put off by the religious aspect. It actually made it quite intriguing. If this story doesn’t win an award, it should. I recommend this for mature audiences, not because of any gratuitous material (there isn’t any), but because children wouldn’t “get it.”
August 20th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Excellent book on so many levels - the story itself is very strong both as a historically based book and on the level of character and plot development. It seemed like it was written to be read aloud - especially the way it was read so beautifully on this podcast version. I loved Cleo’s character for both her flaws and her strengths.
November 19th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
About half way thru and enjoying the rollercoaster ride thru the centuries! Being from Phila., the references ring pretty true, including the nod to Maria Goretti (although I too was a Girls’ High girl)…but nobody I know wears “tennies” (laughing). Thank you for an intriguing story.