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Bellhaven
Welcome to Bellhaven, Alabama. In a time when America is unsure of her moral bearings, the Church of Jesus the Savior is thriving. At least, most folks think so. But no one knows that the pastor is confronting changes in his soul that will give him no peace or that his wife has left him in every way that matters. No one knows that their daughter embraces cold hatred or that she is working with others to set a terrible plot in motion. No one knows that the preacher's son has fallen in love with a girl that is both enchanting and forbidden. Their secret meetings set the stage for the horrific consequences of bigotry in a town where the citizens think everything is normal and intend for it to stay that way. A young man must enter adulthood bearing the scars of one deadly night when love cost everything.
162 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 12, 2024
As the pastor in the church where I came of age, Paul Isom (and his late wife Beverly) had a formative impact on my politics, my personal ethics, and my understanding of right and wrong. While I am no longer in any way religious or spiritual, the things I learned from them growing up are still a significant part of my moral compass; for me, they were models of compassion, inclusion, and critical thinking. When Pastor Paul died in 2015, I learned through his obituary that he’d written a novel, and it’s been sitting on my shelf now for several years. Following the 2024 election, I finally picked it up, in the hopes that it would have something to say that might help me make sense of this moment in history.
I don’t know that I understand the world any better than I did before I read Bellhaven. Though it’s certainly not autobiographical, I do think I might understand a little bit more about Pastor Paul. There were no reassurances there, but a pivotal sermon towards the end of the novel felt familiar. I can see echoes of the message I might have heard if I’d had the opportunity to hear Pastor Paul preach on the Sunday after election day; I’m both incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have learned from him during his life and so sad and sorry that I no longer have the chance to ask him questions and let him know how much he meant—and still means—to me.
As for the book: Pastor Paul was a brilliant guy and a solid writer. It’s not winning any literary awards, but it was a solid read. The book is set between 1968 and 1978 just outside of Montgomery, AL, and is centered on white folks with a variety of different perspectives coming to grips with the way the Civil Rights Movement is changing their world. I’d also be remiss not to mention that there is some use of the N-word in dialogue and discussion of various (white) characters’ attitudes towards it. It seems likely that it’s an accurate representation of how Pastor Paul would have heard the word used in his own childhood (similar to Harper Lee and TKAMB), but it’s worth being aware of before you pick it up.
I don’t know that I understand the world any better than I did before I read Bellhaven. Though it’s certainly not autobiographical, I do think I might understand a little bit more about Pastor Paul. There were no reassurances there, but a pivotal sermon towards the end of the novel felt familiar. I can see echoes of the message I might have heard if I’d had the opportunity to hear Pastor Paul preach on the Sunday after election day; I’m both incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have learned from him during his life and so sad and sorry that I no longer have the chance to ask him questions and let him know how much he meant—and still means—to me.
As for the book: Pastor Paul was a brilliant guy and a solid writer. It’s not winning any literary awards, but it was a solid read. The book is set between 1968 and 1978 just outside of Montgomery, AL, and is centered on white folks with a variety of different perspectives coming to grips with the way the Civil Rights Movement is changing their world. I’d also be remiss not to mention that there is some use of the N-word in dialogue and discussion of various (white) characters’ attitudes towards it. It seems likely that it’s an accurate representation of how Pastor Paul would have heard the word used in his own childhood (similar to Harper Lee and TKAMB), but it’s worth being aware of before you pick it up.
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November 19, 2025Bellhaven pulled me in from the very first chapter. What I loved most about this book is how deeply it explores the hidden fractures beneath a seemingly “stable” community. Paul B. Isom doesn’t just tell a story he exposes the quiet storms brewing inside a pastor’s home, the weight of unspoken resentment, and the complicated intersections of faith, family, and prejudice.
One character who really stood out to me was the preacher’s daughter. Her cold, simmering hatred and the way she becomes entangled in a dangerous plot added a gripping tension to the story. She represents the kind of internalized pain that often goes unnoticed until it erupts, and her arc gives the book a sharp emotional edge.
The forbidden love between the preacher’s son and the girl he’s not supposed to love is tender, brave, and heartbreaking. It sets up a powerful contrast between innocence and the destructive force of bigotry that shapes the town.
By the end, I found myself thinking about how many small towns carry stories just like this quiet tragedies hidden behind polite smiles and Sunday services.
One character who really stood out to me was the preacher’s daughter. Her cold, simmering hatred and the way she becomes entangled in a dangerous plot added a gripping tension to the story. She represents the kind of internalized pain that often goes unnoticed until it erupts, and her arc gives the book a sharp emotional edge.
The forbidden love between the preacher’s son and the girl he’s not supposed to love is tender, brave, and heartbreaking. It sets up a powerful contrast between innocence and the destructive force of bigotry that shapes the town.
By the end, I found myself thinking about how many small towns carry stories just like this quiet tragedies hidden behind polite smiles and Sunday services.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews