Sister North
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Sam was an indifferent Chicago lawyer content to drift though life on his good looks and his wife's money, until a violent incident shatters his world. Newly addicted to watching Sister North, a nun with a popular TV show, Sam embarks on a trip to Lake Eagleton, Wisconsin to see the wise nun personally, seeking forgiveness and spiritual guidance.
When he arrives, he discovers that he has been watching reruns-Sister North has vanished and all sorts of rumors abound. As he waits, wondering if the elusive nun will ever return, he unexpectedly, he falls in love with Meg, a reclusive waitress at the local restaurant. This was not the answer that he was searching for, yet, for the first time in his life, his feelings are genuine.
Jim Kokoris, the author of the beloved novel The Rich Part of Life, sensitively and compassionately portrays a remarkable story of forgiveness and hope. Undeniably powerful, Sister North is a novel that takes a poignant and humorous look at what passes for faith and love in the twenty-first century.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A Chicago divorce lawyer seeks solace from an unlikely divine source after a tragic shooting in this funny, touching second novel. On the surface, Sam Gamett is a decidedly unsympathetic protagonist; a handsome, callow lawyer who marries a less attractive woman for her money. Gamett finds himself bereft when his marriage falls apart and his practice begins to slide; matters come to a head when a deranged, gun-toting client walks into Sam's office and inexplicably kills his sweet young secretary, Maureen, after threatening Gamett. Wondering why he wasn't chosen for death, Sam searches for answers. After watching an inspiring TV advice show hosted by a placid nun named Sister North, Sam makes the decidedly odd decision to drive to her studio in Lake Eagleton, Wis., to meet the nun in person. Unfortunately, Sister North is off traveling when he arrives, but Sam finds himself attracted to the woman who handles her affairs, Meg Lodge, even as rumors of the nun's death cast a pall over the town, which revolves around her status as a TV celebrity. Kokoris's gift for comic dialogue and his ability to create damaged but funny characters sustains the unlikely conceit, although the narrative momentum stalls occasionally due to excessive focus on the dilemmas of the harebrained secondary characters. Sam's romance with Lodge isn't always plausible, but his charm and his slow-growing awareness of his flaws overcome the problems of pace and plotting. Kokoris's sophomore effort doesn't quite reach full potential, but the author fulfills much of the promise he showed as a humorist and character writer in The Rich Part of Life.
