'Newfie' Priest

"Newfie" Priest is a work of fiction about an Anglican Priest in the 1950's who has an affair while in theological college and the girl becomes pregnant. She is not interested in marrying him but does have the baby and places it in the orphanage in St. John's, all hush hush. The two stop seeing each other and eventually the student is ordained and marries someone else. After ten years of serving as a priest, his past catches up with him and he is asked to leave the parish in disgrace. He did see his son occasionally in the orphanage and watched him grow over the years but never offered to adopt him until he was found out. The priest kept the secret from his wife and told the lad he was his uncle and that his parents had been killed in an accident. The boy's mother went on to marry someone else and never visited him. What follows is a spiritual journey where Rev. Farrell is forced to come to grips with his past and grow through his pain. There are various references to the humanities as they relate to Newfoundland in the 1950's and how life revolved around the church. Like a mini-stream of consciousness in Joyce's 'Ulysses,' the novel involves such subjects as redemption, revival, Irish Wake, heaven, hell, judgement of Canada, psychotheraphy, casting out demons, talks with the Holy Spirit, mummering, not forgetting newfie humour, dialects and human frailties. In his portrayal of the wayward priest, the author Charles Shave is unflinching in his portrayal of a man trapped by his past. There is great emotional drama, colourful Newfoundland characters and typical newfie wit as the author weaves in and out like a fisherman playing his catch. Powerfully told, the story grips the reader right from the start. The author has geared the book for 'Newfies' Adrift as many Newfoundlanders have left the province over the years and are now living in different parts of the world but the novel is fascinating reading for anyone looking for an interesting book to read especially before a roaring fire on a rainy, windy and foggy night with a foghorn constantly harrumping in the distance. Publishers are Trafford Publishing, Victoria, B.C., Canada