Description

Brother Stephen dies suddenly. That’s when things get complicated. Is Stephen’s death his wake-up call? This possibility slowly dawns on him. Soon, though, he is behind the wheel of a Prius, driving through his afterlife, listening to himself being interviewed on NPR. ?It’s just like high school, Terry. You know, maybe it is high school,” he tells her, in the interview, as she questions him about lawsuits filed by students who claimed to have been molested by pedophile Brothers. As an administrator of his Roman Catholic religious order, he was caught in the middle of these heartbreaking cases. In fact, the lawsuit he was dealing with the moment he died is one that strikes especially close to his heart. He once knew the plaintiff?he once knew her very well?but he also knew the Brother who is named in the lawsuit. Now that he’s dead, he’s more determined than ever to get to the truth. He spends his afterlife unraveling this terrible mystery, learning more about the plight of the survivor and that of the accused, but the biggest mystery he faces is one about himself.

About the author(s)

Joseph Di Prisco is the acclaimed author of prize-winning poetry (Wit’s End, Poems in Which, and Sightlines from the Cheap Seats), bestselling memoirs (Subway to California and The Pope of Brooklyn), nonfiction, and novels (Confessions of Brother Eli, Sun City, All for Now, The Alzhammer, Sibella & Sibella, and The Good Family Fitzgerald). He taught for many years and has served as chair of not-for-profits dedicated to the arts, theater, children’s mental health, and schools. In 2015, he founded New Literary Project, a not-for-profit driving social change and unleashing artistic power, investing in writers across generations from neglected, overlooked communities. He also directs NewLit’s annual Joyce Carol Oates Prize, awarded to mid-career authors of fiction, and is Series Editor of the annual anthology Simpsonistas: Tales from New Literary Project. Born in Brooklyn, he grew up in Greenpoint and then in Berkeley. He and his family now live in Lafayette, California.