Abide With Me

Katherine, a young child of only five, becomes mute with sorrow following the loss of her mother. It is up to her father, Tyler Caskey, a devastated minister, to coax his daughter out of her silence. However, Tyler himself is struggling to cope. Without the warmth of his wife, Lauren, his church-provided home feels even more frigid. He finds it difficult to craft his sermons and to lead his flock while grappling with his own loss. An incident at Katherine's school, when her teacher reaches out to discuss her uncharacteristic behavior, sets off a series of events that chip away at Tyler's carefully constructed walls. The gossip in their small town swirls around Katherine's peculiar behavior and speculates about Tyler's interactions with his housekeeper, Connie Hatch. In his darkest moments, Tyler stumbles upon a revelation that will challenge both the empathy of his congregation and his own resolve to endure trials that life inevitably presents. This novel, crafted by the longlisted Man Booker Prize author of "My Name is Lucy Barton" and Orange Prize-shortlisted writer of "Amy & Isabelle," beautifully explores themes of love, abandonment, faith, and the dangers of familial secrets.