Genre
Audience
Adult
Author’s Worldview
Catholic
Year Published
2016
Themes
Reviewed by
Tiffany Buck
Secrets have a way of haunting us. In the town of Faithful the O’Murphy family is suffering under the weight of secrets. Things are complicated enough without two ghosts adding to the mix. Collier can’t seem to wrap her mind around what happened to her as a teenager. She hasn’t told her husband, about this little secret. He too, is keeping something from her. Izzy sister and mother have marriages that seem to be crumbling. Even the seemingly solid grandparents, Carroll and his wife Rose, are holding onto a piece of the past that no one knows anything about. With all the problems and secrets going on, the two that seem to be suffering the most are Izzy and Rose. Izzy wants to tell her husband her secret, but she doesn’t know how. Rose wants to forgive her husband, but the pain ways heavy on her.
Subscribe to our Newsletter & Get Weekly Catholic Books for as little as $1
Deception is destructive. It gnaws at us. Humans go through elaborate hoops to keep their “secrets” in check. The O’Murphy family needs help to deal with all their secrets. The help comes in the form of two unrelated ghosts. Not everyone in the family can see them. In fact the family members suspect Rose has dementia when “she” announces she sees a dearly departed person from her past. Izzy questions her own sanity she when encounters the ghosts. As the novel progresses, these apparitions help Izzy and Rose navigate their course of life.
Kaye Park Hinckley writes on the complexities of family relations, destructive secrets, forgiveness, and brutality with ease. She doesn’t flinch when it comes to tackling tough issues. such as rape, murder, drugs, and vengeance. Instead of leaving the reader grappling with the pain, Hinckley offers hope and a chance to heal and best of all, forgiveness.
Just because they’re dead doesn’t mean they’re gone. The two ghosts in the novel are recently departed, yet their work on earth is not over. Hinckley provides readers with a story of how purgatory lovingly heals the living and the dead. Catholics are taught death is not the end. Indeed we are encouraged to reach out to the dead in prayer.
The Ghosts of Faithful was a joy to read. It is fast paced and character driven. The characters exemplify the good and the bad of humanity. Best of all the characters are relatable. I see a little bit of myself in each character while reading this southern gothic novel. Isn’t that what it’s like when you sit down for a family meal? In each chair you see a bit of yourself. I highly recommend this book to Christian women, especially Catholics, due of the topic of purgatory.
Subscribe to our Newsletter & Get Weekly Catholic Books for as little as $1
Join Here for FREE to Never Miss a Deal
Find new favorites & Support Catholic Authors
Lying Awake by Mark Salzman
A cloistered nun confronts her faith when she realizes that the private revelations she has been given might be the product of epilepsy.
A Good Girl by Johnnie Bernhard
When an old man dies his daughter must trace her family tree to find the ability to forgive him.
The City Mother By Maya Sinha
She didn’t believe in good and evil, until she became a mother…
My Son, The Father by Jim Moore
The story of a young priest through the eyes of his father and friends.
Absence by Kaye Park Hinckley
Absence will chill you with the stark reminder that human beings are not just bodies, but souls whose spiritual influence cannot be suppressed, even when the bodies have gone missing.
Zeal & Zest: Where to Begin with Hillaire Belloc
Belloc was known as a Catholic polemicist with a vicious talent for skewering his opponents. Anyone struggling to persevere as a Christian in the fields of journalism or media should read him. His children’s books have an acerbic humor that will appeal to bored veterans of political correctness, especially teens.
A Changing of the Guard; Three Last Things Book 2 by Corinna Turner
A priest to Death Row inmates, Fr. Jacob must face the earthly consequences of ‘love thy enemy’
Earthquake Weather by Kevin Rush
The mist that settles over San Francisco hides the ugly parts of her world. Can Kristine find the courage to see with unclouded eyes?
Everything Old: Love in Anadauk Book 1 by Amanda Hamm
Two youth group leaders rekindle their friendship and find love with each other along the way.
Best of 2020
Yes some good things DID happen this year- Catholic creators have not let turmoil stop their mission.
The Destiny of Sunshine Ranch by T.M. Gaouette
A foster kid learns that sometimes the scariest part of life is accepting love.
Champion of the Poor: Father Joe Walijewski by Voyage Comics
Meet the priest who spread the love of God in Peru.
The Poppy and The Rose by Ashlee Cowles
While abroad in England, Taylor discovers a mystery linking her to an heiress and passenger aboard The Titanic.
August & September New Book Releases
Step into Fall with a Good Book
Most Highly Favored Daughter by Janice Palko
Her perfect life hides her city’s darkest secrets. Can Cara face the light of truth and come to understand real love?
Big in Heaven by Fr. Stephen Siniari
In this inner-city Orthodox parish, there are no easy answers—only the transformative power of God’s love.
The Boy Who Knew (Friends in High Places: Carlo Acutis) by Corinna Turner
Faced with his death, a fifteen-year-old learns how to live through the wisdom of Blessed Carlo Acutis.
The Lion’s Heart by Dena Hunt
A deep, honest story of emotional struggle, temptation, and sacrifice.
Celtic Crossing by Len Mattano
Relic lost, and faith found.
Freeing Tanner Rose by T.M. Gaouette
Hollywood Starlet meets Kung Fu Country boy with a God obsession.