Alice McDermott’s tale of American Catholics in Vietnam
What is the kindest, least condescending help that privileged Christians can offer to the wider world?
The voice of God in Malamud, O’Connor, Updike, and Morrison
Peter C. Brown’s project is urgent and personal.
Still resisting Constantine
According to Reformation scholar Jason Mahn, the birth of Christendom was a sort of Fall.
The ghosts and the not-yet-dead
Jesmyn Ward’s novel is a descent into hell on earth. I couldn't put it down.
Catholic sisters and their difficult vocation
Alice McDermott ponders a mystery: How is it that women hear the calling and find the strength to love and support their neighbors?
A novel that charts a spiritual transformation
H. K. Bush's tale revolves around the challenges of a Western academic's encounter with the East.
A president walks into a Buddhist purgatory
The new George Saunders novel turns a crazy idea into a deeply moving story.