Her Father's Sins: a new novel

I'm pleased to announce the Fine Form Press release of my latest romance novel: Her Father's Sins.

Her Father's Sins by JT Therrien

This romance novel took nine years to write, from the first words to release. It spent six of those years dormant in my computer, waiting for me to return to it and finish it. I lost count of the number of times I changed the point-of-view over the years.

Thanks to my wife's input at the early stages of the novel, I believe that this story is one of my better efforts.

Lillian LaChance (nee Armstrong), Gabriel Peterson and Raymond Eckert are three of my most interesting characters. The setting is Toronto Canada, Geneva Switzerland and Muhajeria Sudan and the story spans three generations of the Armstrong family.

Her Father's Sins is a tale of contrasts: there is poverty (homelessness) vs affluence; small business vs Big Pharma; North American technological amenities vs Sudanese simplicity; the warmth of family life vs the cold isolation of family loss; the gift of mental health vs the trappings of mental illness; and many other contrasts.

Her Father's Sins Blurb

While recovering from a family tragedy, Lillian inherits her father's multinational pharmaceutical corporation, along with the responsibility for his successful, but unscrupulous, business practices. Needing to right past wrongs, Lillian ignores family loyalties as she schemes to gain the trust and friendship of Gabriel Peterson, a man who lost everything after his battle with William Armstrong.

I hope readers will enjoy my latest contemporary romance novel.

Her Father's Sins can be obtained from all e-book retailers, including: Amazon, Smashwords, B & N, itunes or your favorite e-book retailer. My middle grade children's fiction is also available in print on CreateSpace.com and at Amazon.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and for reading my fiction.

~ JT Therrien~

Review: Indian Horse

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I guess Richard Wagamese likes stereotypes. In Indian Horse he has the drunken Native American, the cleric sexual predators for which the Catholic Church is (apparently) best known, the sadistic nuns who enable the priests' sexual abuse and, last but not least, the White Man who, like a territorial dog that knows no limits, thinks that everything he sees, thinks or does belongs to him and not to Others - especially when it comes to protecting the sacred game of hockey.

Forget looking for deep insights into the human condition in Iron Horse. Forget anything beyond blaming your parents (or some authoritative element of society that stands in for your parents) for screwing up your life and being the cause of your problems. If you're unsuccessful, it's someone else's fault - literally, the Universe's in this case - since you have to accept a pagan ideology to understand this story.

The story itself is well-written and it is a joy to read a solid tale about hockey. Wagamese captures the game of hockey as I remember playing it in Pee Wee and Bantam. The language is not flowery, nor is it stripped down minimalism. The imagery is well-grounded in the senses and Wagamese brings the game to life. But his reliance on stereotypes shows how insecure he is in his story-telling skills. Instead of giving the reader a truly unique and memorable character, we're left thinking of this as the drunken Indian hockey player novel.

Of course, the scenes and disclosures of sexual abuse are difficult to read. As a practicing Catholic I cannot condone any abuse - clergy or otherwise. Sexual predators need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law - regardless whether they wear a religious collar or not.

Before buying into Wagamese's depiction of (mostly northern) residential schools where decades of the sexual abuse took place (a fact I do not dispute), I would have liked some historical information. I would have appreciated at least a mention of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2008-2015) and their findings and recommendations; the fact that among a list of many organizations, the Catholic Church apologized for the abuses caused by their clergy or the people in their employment. How the residential schools came to be, etc., but we have none of that deeper analysis. That would presumably take away from the stereotypical Good Guy vs Bad Guy story line.

Sadly, we're left with the uneasy feeling that Wagamese used the whole troubling, traumatic setting of the residential schools in Iron Horse only for dramatic effect. Does it work? You bet! Does it make for good literature? Nope.

It's a story that is chock-full of stereotypes (hence it has a readily-accessible, universal appeal) and it would be a good made-for-tv movie with all of the dramatic elements that include Ojibwa mysticism, drinking, fighting, scandalous sexual abuse, the Catholic Church and, yes, even Canada's true religion: hockey.

Regardless of what Canada Reads says, should you read this novel? It can't hurt you, but it certainly won't inspire you beyond the covers.

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Review: Jesus the Bridegroom: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

Jesus the Bridegroom: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Brant Pitre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my favorite book by Catholic theologian Brant Pitre. In this latest hermeneutical work, Pitre explores the historical, cultural and biblical roots of the idea of Jesus defining Himself as the Bridegroom of the Church and, by extension, since we all participate in Christ's Mystical Body, of all the Faithful.

Every Catholic priest must familiarize himself with this important, significant catechesis and teach it from the pulpit.

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Review: The Name of God is Mercy

The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading yet another book by Pope Francis. I especially found it rewarding to learn a bit more about what influenced the Pope's views on the virtue of mercy. Following a format used in publishing some of his previous books, a Vatican journalist submitted a list of questions to Pope Francis and he answered them at his leisure. So, (thankfully) no off-the-cuff comments from the Pontiff in this missive. Anyone familiar with the Pope's views on mercy, especially as they relate to the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, will find his personal answers heartwarming and full of practical advice.

Unfortunately, this book was released before the publication of Pope Francis' latest apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, so there is no discussion of any of the controversies contained in that text.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning why the Pope (and the Catholic Church) believes that God's mercy is such a necessity for people (believers and non-believers alike) navigating our secular modern world.

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Taking Down the Body From the Cross - Meditation

Taking Down Christ's Body from the Cross is the sixth prayer meditation in the Devotion to Mary's Sorrows.

Michelangelo's Pieta, image from Wikipedia

Whenever I think of Michelangelo's or anyone else's rendition of the Pieta, Mary cradling Jesus' lifeless body is always juxtaposed in my mind with Mary cradling the infant Jesus. This brings great comfort, in one sense, since it completes Jesus' ministry on Earth, which began with his incarnation, with the mystery of the marriage of divinity and humanity, which then led to His birth.

Besides a mother's loss, what did Mary feel when she held the body of Our Savior? Did she recall the angel's encounter thirty-three years before? Did she think of her quiet assent, her humble and faith-based ave, her assent to God's request? Did she consider all those times when the Holy Family had to flee from dangerous threats to her son? Did she wonder why the Innocents had to be murdered, when ultimately, Jesus still met his death in such an ugly, humiliating way? Did she recall that bitter-sweet event so long ago, at the presentation of Our Lord in the temple, when Simeon praised the baby Jesus and then warned our Blessed Mother that her heart would be pierced by sorrow?

As she holds his corpse, the weight of his flesh straining her arms, did she wonder how Jesus could be the Savior of the world when he couldn't, or wouldn't, save himself?

Was her faith in God tested, after seeing her Son brutally tortured for two days?

No, probably not. Mary had faith in God. And she was the most tested of God's earthly creatures, and for that she deserved to be crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Book Review - Pray for Me

Pray for Me: The Life and Spiritual Vision of Pope Francis, First Pope from the Americas by Robert Moynihan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting book that explores Pope Francis' childhood influences, adult religious influences and some of his thoughts on a variety of topics affecting the Church. Moynihan also goes out of his way to show the theological continuity between Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

Although I would not classify this book as "must read" for Catholics, it is an important book that helps to explain the sources of Pope Francis' more popular/controversial comments and actions which at first might appear to go against Church doctrine or tradition.

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Book Review: Five Loaves & Two Fish

Five Loaves & Two Fish by Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A truly amazing and inspiring book.

For anyone feeling overwhelmed over the assaults on our Faith, this collection of prayers and autobiographical reflections by persecuted Vietnamese Catholic Bishop Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan will lift your spirits and open your heart to discipleship.

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