Book Review: Saint Catherine of Secaucus

Reviewed by Timothy Thomas

A thoughtful narrative contemplating the impact of loss & abandonment on faith and the possibility of redemption in its death

Saint Catherine of Secaucus is a moving work of literary fiction from author Ann King that investigates the effects of naïve faith in one’s youth and the life-altering consequences of losing that faith.

King’s pragmatic prose reveals an intimate knowledge of the thoughts, emotions, and internal conflicts that come with the disillusionment of one’s beliefs and the abandonment of a parent, taking a novel that is ordinary in its concept to extraordinary in its execution.

As a child, Catherine Ricci was among the most faithful and idealistic students at her Catholic school, having been inspired by Sister Alberta’s example to such an extent that Catherine herself aspired to the sisterhood. The unfortunate and untimely death of her beloved Sister, however, triggers the end of that dream and, in addition to her parents’ separation, the slow demise of her faith.

By the time she enters high school, she considers herself agnostic, much to the chagrin of her mother and her Aunt Grace, who, though stuck in a passionless and abusive marriage, nevertheless cling to the hope of her Catholic beliefs. The collapse of Catherine’s religious convictions and the bitterness toward her father is accompanied by a growing apathy that strains the relationship with her mother in her teenage years and creates a void of meaning and direction in her life. But when an attempted rape turned manslaughter incident catches up with her in college, her life takes an unexpected turn that brings God back into focus, challenging her agnosticism and apathy as she uncovers new meaning.

Saint Catherine of Secaucus is perfectly paced, grounded, and moving. Catherine’s blunt, focused narration is honest, rarely exaggerating events or details for the sake of storytelling, but still managing to add color to the story with its realism. If a good story is not only in its concept, but in how it is told, then Saint Catherine undoubtedly bears the mark of a good story.

The book also excels in its portrayal of people. Its cast of characters, from Catherine’s Aunt Grace to her high school crush and protester extraordinaire, Gerald, are vividly multidimensional, as though written from memory. Catherine herself is revealed to have quite a bit of depth, as her introspective analyses of the circumstances of her life are both reasonable and measured. Though she may struggle at times with the conclusions she has drawn, her rationale for them is often very understandable.

Ann King’s novel invites us to think more deeply about our lives and how the easily explained and unexplainable converge to generate questions that may challenge our thinking. This book may not give us direct answers to our most-searched questions, but it does provide an engagingly accessible jumping off point for our discovery of truth. A truly worthwhile read.

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