"Soul. The word rebounded to me, and I wondered, as I often had, what it was exactly. People talked about it all the time, but did anybody actually know? Sometimes I pictured it like a pilot light burning inside a person---a drop of fire from the invisible inferno people called God. Or a squashy substance, like a piece of clay or dental mold, which collected the sum of a person's experiences---a million indentations of happiness, desperation, fear, all the small piercings of beauty we've ever known."
-Jessie's thoughts from the novel
This is the third book I have read by this author and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the others---The Invention of Wings and The Secret Life of Bees. I will rate it a 3.5. The writing style is the usual high quality but the plot didn't really draw me in. The mixture of Catholic ritual and mythical elements were a bit confusing to this protestant; "The Mermaid's Tale" a little far-fetched. It reminded me of an older novel, The Thorn Birds, also the love story of a conflicted priest.
Each of the Kidd's novels I have read were set in South Carolina, this one no exception. Artist Jessie Sullivan must make a trip to her childhood home on Egret Island, SC, when her mother mysteriously mutilates herself. While dealing with her mother's mental and physical issues she meets Brother Thomas of the nearby monastery of St. Senara. Though married, she finds herself strongly attracted to him and the feeling is mutual. He has his own emotional baggage, along with often living up to his namesake "doubting Thomas." His story is told in 3rd person while Jessie narrates her own.
As if the problems above don't offer enough conflict, Jessie is also dealing with the guilt of believing she may have been responsible for her beloved father's death when she was very young. She makes some surprising finds that add suspicion to the circumstances of his demise. Through all the turmoil she makes important discoveries about herself.
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