Happy Pilgrims — Stephen Finucan

In twelve rich stories that move from small-town Ontario to old-time Hollywood, from devotion in a tiny Irish parish to the three-ring piety of Lourdes, Stephen Finucan makes a startling appearance on the Canadian literature frontier. Finucan's vibrant characters face poignant battles with religion, courage, and daily life. In 'On Angel's Wings' an apparition of the Virgin Mary is run down by a drunken Rotarian's El Camino on Founder's Day, and an eight-year-old boy struggles to understand the meaning of faith. In 'The Honeymooners' an elderly man decides it is finally time to take his Alzheimer's-stricken wife on the holiday he has been promising her for sixty years. And in 'Windows' a recent divorcee empowers herself through home renovation. In these worlds, subtle gestures and minor events can suddenly turn lives in exactly the opposite direction of where they were supposed to lead. This is a remarkable debut from a truly promising young writer.