John the Revelator

Already fast becoming a classic among coming-of-age tales, John the Revelatorhas garnered praise from Nick Laird, Colm Toibin, Roddy Doyle, and John Boyne, and is a critical darling in the U.K. This is the story of John Devine--stuck in a small town in the otherworldly landscape of southeastern Ireland, worried over by his single, chain-smoking, Bible-quoting mother, Lily, and spied on by the "neighborly" Mrs. Nagle. When Jamey Corboy, a self-styled Rimbaudian boy wonder, arrives in town, John's life suddenly seems full of possibility. His loneliness dissipates. He is taken up by mischief and discovery, hiding in the world beyond as Lily's mysterious illness worsens. But Jamey and John's nose for trouble may be their undoing, and soon John will be faced with a terrible moral dilemma. Joining the ranks of the great novels of friendship and betrayal-- A Separate Peace, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha-- John the Revelatorgrapples with the pull of the world and the hold of those we love.