Literary Fiction · MelancholicA priest, a recovering alcoholic, comes home to his old parish
The Edge of Sadness
A priest in recovery returns to the city where he grew up
Hugh Kennedy is a middle-aged Catholic priest and a recovering alcoholic. He returns to his hometown, a New England seaport city, to rebuild his priestly career, and he renews ties with the Carmody family, wealthy Irish friends he has known since childhood. The novel explores buried feeling, friendship, loneliness, spirituality and new hope.
More about this book
Who
Father Hugh Kennedy, a middle-aged priest, and the Carmody family, wealthy friends from his childhood.
World
An unnamed New England seaport city, the seat of a bishop, which most closely resembles Providence, Rhode Island.
What makes it different
O'Connor was born in Providence, which served as the model for the city. It won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Feel
Slow, reflective and sad, with a lot of talk about faith and friendship.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Behind the book
The fictional city is modeled on Providence, Rhode Island, the birthplace of the author, Edwin O'Connor.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- The Edge of SadnessWikipedia