THE NINTH HOUR by ALICE McDERMOTT (2017)

The Ninth Hour begins with a suicide and ends with a murder. In between is a story of survival against the odds, of the kindness and harshness of nuns of the Catholic church, of the questioning of religious belief, of the inheritance of the sins of our fathers, of sex and sensuality, and of love.

When a soon-to-be Irish father, who has recently become unemployed, commits suicide, his pregnant wife and soon-to-be daughter are rescued from destitution by the charity of Catholic nuns. The newly born baby, Sally, is reared in the basement of the convent, where her mother has been employed. The novel, narrated by the Sally's children, traces the family history, particularly in its involvement and interactions with their Catholic upbringing.

McDermott writes with grace and assurance, and thus this is a very readable story. The characters never becomes stereotypes and seem totally human. Both the compassion and the restrictiveness of the Catholic religion, particularly among the devout Irish, is portrayed with sensitivity.

The Ninth Hour was a finalist for the 2018 National Book Critics Circle Award. It is not one I will ever read again, but it was pleasurable the first time.