John the Revelator

Already fast becoming a classic among coming-of-age tales, John the Revelator has garnered praise from Nick Laird, Colm Tibn, Roddy Doyle, and John Boyne, and is a critical darling in the U.K. This is the story of John Devinestuck in a small town in the otherworldly landscape of southeastern Ireland, worried over by his single, chain-smoking, Bible-quoting mother, Lily, and spied on by the neighborly Mrs. Nagle. When Jamey Corboy, a self-styled Rimbaudian boy wonder, arrives in town, Johns life suddenly seems full of possibility. His loneliness dissipates. He is taken up by mischief and discovery, hiding in the world beyond as Lilys mysterious illness worsens. But Jamey and Johns nose for trouble may be their undoing, and soon John will be faced with a terrible moral dilemma. Joining the ranks of the great novels of friendship and betrayalA Separate Peace, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha HaJohn the Revelator grapples with the pull of the world and the hold of those we love.