The Rite of James Biddle

by Andrew Bailey

The Rev’d. James Biddle loves good books and traditional values, fearing the brave new digital world and the interweb. He’s thirty-six. He fights modernization. Fights and fails to stop his own St. Matthew’s Anglican Church from holding a U2charist (a very real, very awkward phenomenon) to attract younger parishioners.

When he meets Melissa Wembley, a red haired hipster, it’s love at first sight. Too bad she’s betrothed to another and James will be officiating. But when his thirteen-year-old goddaughter, Jo-Marie, runs away to escape her violent father, Melissa is eager to assist James in a desperate search. As she helps navigate the online missing person pages and the gritty Pacific Northwest streets, James discovers that Melissa, like him, seeks redemption for past mistakes now impossible to ignore.

242 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2014

Reviews

[Lis Boileau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant book. I am a long time Andrew Bailey fan through his Fringe creations and this book did not disappoint. I want everyone to read it: romantics, religious types, agnostics, atheists, realists, gelato fans, surly grouches...

The ending managed to be both expected and surprising. And beautiful.

If you loved this book, try some TJ Klune next... very different writers but the same chosen family with joy threaded throughout.

I got a library copy and ordered one for myself (from my favourite local book store) before I'd finished. This will definitely be a reread.

Thanks for another brilliant creation, Monseigneur Bienvenu.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Biddle, a thirty something Anglican priest, is stuck in a time warp in terms of his beliefs and hobbies, which parallels the state of the modern church. James struggles against modernization in the time of U2 and Facebook, and longs for the classical periods of Greek and Roman studies, or those of Shakespearean times. At first he seems isolated and stubborn in his beliefs that coincide with the older members of the church congregation. His awkwardness is enhanced when he meets Melissa, a person he admires yet wants to keep distant for professional reasons. When the power of technology influences his ability to find his goddaughter after she runs away to live on the streets of Victoria, James slowly starts to evolve in terms of accepting change. A humorous examination of the future of organized religion without modernization, this book is also timely by taking place in Victoria, where several churches of different denominations have closed due to low congregational numbers. I am excited to read this since the topic is so familiar, and because Andrew Bailey will be performing at the Victoria Fringe Festival!

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is intelligent, funny, heart-warming and thought provoking. Anyone who has ever been an active participant in an Anglican church congregation will recognize some of the characters and goings on but that's not what it's all about. You don't have to be a church goer to enjoy it - it is an absolute delight. It will appeal to fans of The Rosie Project.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to have the author read this entire book to me in one day, and I absolutely fell in love with the characters, was enchanted by a different viewpoint of my home city, and I highly recommend this novel.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down- heart warming and well developed characters, a wonderful recollection of Victoria, and a great story. I wish I could have heard Bailey read it himself in UNO fest, but very much enjoyed reading it.