I am honored to be part of the Virtual Book Tour of Ellen Gable's powerful new novel Where Angels Pass. Ellen is a marvelous lady as well as a gifted writer who has come through for me so often in the past. I read the new novel in one sitting as befits a tale well-told. The topic is disturbing but only in the light of day can some monsters be vanquished.
Teenager Evie Gallagher is stunned when her 45-year-old father dies tragically and suddenly. Too many unanswered questions accompany Evie's challenging journey to adulthood. When she finally discovers the reason her father led such a troubled life, shock turns to anger. She is determined to find justice for her father. Nervous about the first day of his freshman year, 14-year-old Hank Gallagher steps inside Holy Archangels High School for the first time in September of 1954. Although the majestic Holy Archangels statues inside the school's grand lobby present an air of protection, it is not long before Hank passes right under them and into the hands of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Confused and cornered by threats, Hank attempts to abandon his secret to the past, but a horrible wound on his heart eventually leads to a catastrophic breakdown. Based loosely on actual events, chapters alternate between Evie and Hank to reveal a life haunted by betrayal and a revelation of true justice and hope.
My review:
The greatest tragedy that could befall the Roman Catholic Church is for a child's innocence to be stolen by a priest. And yet it has happened thousands of times and continues to happen. Told by Ellen Gable, as only she can tell it, with candor and faith, this story sheds light on the darkness of a case of clerical abuse. As the results of the abuse envelope an entire family, one sees how that the original victim truly had his life destroyed by one evil man. It is one thing to read about monstrous crimes in the news but in Ellen's book we see the tragedy firsthand. We are introduced to an ordinary family; I felt that I knew the family because so many things they did reminded me of people I have known, my grandparents, other relatives and my own immediate family. When we see the hopes and dreams of a person whom we feel we know destroyed by a callous and reckless predator, it is almost unbearable. We want to rend our garments and cry to heaven, "Why?"
It is how the various characters choose to respond to the darkness that makes Ellen's book a testimony of hope amid despair.The protagonist, Hank, never gives up on God and continually seeks out the sacraments, after struggling through the most heartrending mental anguish guilt and total collapse. His wife is an especially valiant soul who, while in labor, must deal with a husband having a psychotic break. And then there is their plucky little daughter Evie who, in spite of her own trials, keeps refocusing the family on their Catholic faith. And the believing reader sees more clearly than ever that our faith is the faith of wounded soldiers who refuse to despair, of knights who must tackle tyrants and dragons, of prisoners and captives and of all the dark and messy situations which clutter our world and our Church. Ellen Gable, with honesty and grace, goes where few dare to venture. She makes Where Angels Pass a moving and heart-breaking read that will change lives and as well as strengthen faith.
An interview with author Ellen Gable:
Where Angels Pass is quite different from your most recent books. Why?
Where Angels Pass has actually been on my “To Write” shelf for at least 15 years. Any time I tried to sit down and write it, I couldn’t. This was a very difficult topic to write about because of what happened to my father. When my father was a freshman in a Catholic high school in Philly, he was sexually assaulted by one of his teachers. He kept the secret his whole life and the only person he ever told was my mother. My father had a very troubled life after that and eventually wound up having a nervous breakdown the same day my youngest brother was born. Then he had to cope with the stigma of mental illness, eventually becoming an alcoholic and dying tragically when he was only in his 40s.
This summer, when I sat down to write, I started writing and didn’t stop until the book was complete (three weeks). I have never written a book in only three weeks, but every day, I just wrote and couldn’t stop. I’d stay up late to write another thousand words. I’d get up early to write. The only time I stopped writing was when I cried (which was frequent throughout the writing process) and I had to step away.
How much of this book is based on true events?
Most of the book is based loosely on true events. I changed names, of course, amalgamated characters and situations. The time period is different as well. Evie (based on me) is seven years younger than me. The story is told from the perspectives of both Evie (my character) and Hank (my father’s character).
One thing that is not true about the book is that I never met my father’s abuser. He was already dead when I found out about him. The book takes place between seven and ten years after the events in real life because I wanted the abuser to still be alive. In many respects, that chapter was very healing for me to write.
What do you hope the reader will take away from your story?
It’s my hope that the reader will be able to learn that just because a person has suffered clerical abuse (in this case, my father) does not mean his life had any less value than any other person. Did he make mistakes because of his woundedness? Of course, he did, because we’re all born with original sin and with free will. And despite all these things that happened to him, he was really an incredible father and, I believe, made the world a better place (again, despite his nervous breakdown and alcoholism). Most importantly, I hope the reader can understand that the Catholic Church is not an evil institution, and we should not leave the Church because of the sins of some of her members. One thing I didn’t realize until recently was how widespread the clerical abuse problem has been for many years. And while it saddened me that my father was abused, it breaks my heart that so many others suffered like my father.
Why did it take 15 years for you to be able to write this book?
I didn’t want to imagine what my father went through during his abuse and afterward. And while I wrote this book, I had to step away because I’d be crying, especially during the abuse chapters, the aftermath, his nervous breakdown, and his battle with alcoholism. My father wasn’t the sum total of his faults. Instead, he was a unique image of God, who tried his darnedest to be a good husband, son, and father. However, his woundedness was like a snake that slithered all throughout everything he did, good or bad.
Why do you feel your extended family are also victims of clerical abuse?
Having a father who was abused by a priest directly contributed to my father having a mental breakdown and suffering from alcoholism. I believe that had my father never been abused, he probably would not have had a nervous breakdown and he may never have become an alcoholic. As the daughter of an alcoholic, I remember times when as a young teen, I was the parent figure and had to take him to bed or help him put clothes on. In some respects, having an alcoholic father makes a child grow up too quickly.
Virtual Book Tour Stops
December 4 Jim Sano
December 6 Mary Jo Thayer
December 7 Carolyn Astfalk My Scribbler’s Heart Blog
December 8 Elena Maria Vidal
December 9 Victoria Ryan
December 10 Michael Seagriff
December 11 Patrice MacArthur
December 12 Amanda Lauer
December 13 Theresa Linden
December 14 Jeanie Egolf
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