The All of It
Jeannette Haien
160 Pages
On-Sale Date: 09/02/1988
ISBN: 9780060971472
Trim Size: 5.300in x 7.960in x 0.410in
“An elegantly written, compact and often subtle tale of morality and passion that gives voice to an age-old concern in a fresh way.” — New York Times Book Review
Jeanette Haien’s award-winning novel relates the seemingly simple tale of a parishioner confiding in her priest—revelations that provoke a moral quandary for not only the clergyman, but the reader as well. With a foreword written and narrated by bestselling author Ann Patchett.
While fishing in an Irish salmon stream one rainy morning, Father Declan de Loughry ponders the recent deathbed confession of his parishioner Kevin Dennehy. It seems Dennehy and his wife, Enda, had been quietly living a lie for fifty years. Yet the gravity of their deception doesn’t become clear to the good father until Enda shares the full tale of her suffering, finally confiding “the all of it.”
Haien’s intimate novel of conversations and dilemmas is perfect for readers of Paul Harding’s Tinkers, Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood and Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These.
“One of the year’s finest novels, a moral story of the most complex sort.” — Peter Prescott, Newsweek
“An elegantly written, compact and often subtle tale of morality and passion that gives voice to an age-old concern in a fresh way.” — New York Times Book Review
“Jeannette Haien is a writer of vast compassion, and her characters are rich in something all too rare these days: dignity.” — Newsday
“A quiet little stunner, written with the sure hand of an artist and the ear of a seasoned storyteller.” — St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“A beautiful miniature, written by an author with a love of language and a flair for storytelling.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer
