About the Book

This book is about faith and logic, sin and guilt. It is also about innocence and its punishment.

Plot Summary

The novel traces Thomas Spanners life with a dysfunctional father who blames Thomas for his sister's death. Unable to cope with blame and guilt, Thomas becomes drug addicted. He has a religious experience, gives up his drug dependency, and eventually becomes a priest.

He is assigned to an isolated religious community where he tries to fight a harsh Medieval Catholicism. Thomas falls in love with Gretachurch, a secretary and nominal Catholic. They marry and together they escape from Johnsburgh.