Our Lady of the Sign: A Novel

by Abigail Favale

A successful college professor in her thirties, Simone Stark has achieved everything she has strived for—everything other than happiness. One winter day, in the face of unexpected news, Simone impulsively returns to her isolated hometown after a long absence. The snowy mountain landscape is meant to provide sanctuary, a sense of refuge, but instead awakens long-dormant desires and buried pain. When Simone reunites with her first love, a tantalizing future opens. But in the darkness of Simone’s childhood home, a series of unsettling encounters begins, revealing a presence that is both alluring and terrifying, a force she cannot decipher as good or evil, diabolic or divine. Is it a manifestation of her own inner demons or something far more real? Torn by conflicting desires, Simone must face both a present choice and a past that won’t stay hidden. As the power in the house grows stronger, the lines between reality and nightmare begin to blur, culminating in an encounter that will leave Simone forever changed. Our Lady of the Sign is a haunting, evocative exploration of freedom and temptation, of fear and love, of the lies women tell and the lies women have been told. It is a spiritual and psychological thriller that maps the darkest terrain of a woman’s soul—her capacity for reckless abandon and self-deception, but also for heroic love.

Genres: Fiction, Catholic

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2025

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An almost allegorical story of a soul facing her past wounds and the reality of the spiritual world in the midst of supernatural appearances. I think Favale’s prose and ability to weave together the reality of spiritual consequences with real life choices is well done, I think this is successful as a psychological and spiritual allegory rather than a deeply developed novel. That being said, I think there are some truly dramatic scenes that are really well crafted, and the way the psychological and spiritual aspects are described are pretty singular in contemporary fiction.

[Dominika]

Whelp I have a lot of thoughts. May write more some time.

[Margaret Gipson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have appreciated Favale's non-fiction in the past and bought this without knowing anything about it, so I was surprised when this turned out to be Catholic Horror. As it happens, I quite like horror, and I was glad the spooky elements weren't purely just psychological drama. If you're expecting literary fiction you might be disappointed, but if you go into this expecting a well-paced horror thriller then you'll have a great time staying up late and reading this in one sitting.

[Erika Robuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scary, page turning thriller that, on its surface, is set in a haunted house, but at the deeper level reveals how darkness in our past haunts and consumes us, trying to destroy us. Ultimately a story of forgiveness--of self and others--and redemption.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the usual kind of book that I read - psychological drama is not my genre, but it was written by Abigail Favale, and I have appreciated her non fiction work so much that I wanted to see her fiction too.

In short I liked it immensely. It’s a strange novel, but I will think of the story and the characters for a long time after finishing the book. The tone is ominous and the build up to the final scenes is fantastic. The writing is lyrical and moving. The subject matter too is difficult but wonderfully expressed.

[Joel Lakadosch · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the first half of the book, the author plays things close to the vest. She hints at the greater story, but things don’t start kicking off til maybe half way through. So, if you get a bit frustrated at first, don’t worry, the story will come around. However, what that first half does well is supply lots of atmosphere which you slowly feel yourself drawn in to, so you keep reading. Now that I’ve finished the book, I find myself wishing I could go back and inhabit it again.

Once it does kick off, it doesn’t go wild or anything, not like a thrill ride, but the creepiness and fear increases as the story reveals the main character’s inner conflict and the past she’s tried to forget. This is also when the supernatural elements become more prevalent.

Since it takes so long to get to those elements, I don’t want to say what they are, as it feels like the author’s intention here is to gradually reveal and uncover. But it is genuinely scary though, and at the very end, there is also some very beautiful imagery and scenes.

My only caveat - and it’s not enough to decrease my rating of five stars - is that I wish she would have explained the supernatural evil in the story some more. It seems to be based on an actual entity people have encountered. One character - a Mexican man - says this is the first time it’s been seen in America. He explains it usually manifests south of the border. But it was genuinely scary, especially given it’s based on something people believe they’ve interacted with.

Of course, there is an opposite to this evil, and this opposite is genuinely beautiful and good, and the writing when this Good shows up is quite amazing. The last few pages are absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring, especially one involving an event in the night sky. So hang on, this story is worth the slow build up.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying reading the reviews here because I’m struggling to find words for my own feelings about this book!

Firstly to note, I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in a few days. Secondly I found many of the choices curious and enjoyable, even if strange - for example using the present tense, and the surprising choice for a first attempt at novel length fiction, of horror/ thriller element.

On the positives: I was really excited to read this book as I love Abigail Favale’s non-fiction work and thought and have a lot of respect for her. I think my immediate take on this novel (having just finished it minutes ago haha) is an enjoyable read, full of curious literary decisions that piqued my interest. It’s also so engaging (and rare) to have a novel written from inside a worldview that resonates so much with your own.

On the negative side, I felt that perhaps the plot and characters were a bit underdeveloped and could have benefitted from another few rounds of refinement? I appreciated one take in another GR reader’s review that it works well as a spiritual allegory but perhaps not fully there as a whole novel?

Initial thoughts for now! Definitely worth a read.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always curious about the new Catholic fiction that gets published and was glad to be able to borrow this title though my mom's library. I really enjoyed Favale's (non-fiction) "Genesis of Gender" and thought this fictional offering was good. There were some parts that were well-done; other parts were unclear to me and I had to re-read them.

She had some great stuff in Chapter 8 including one long quote that I want to remember when I look back:

"What if she's been wrong all along? What if her mother was wrong, her professors, the high-achieving women who had ushered her along, shaping her in their mold, guiding her choices to validate their own. What if they had all heard this yes, this call at the center of their being, just like she was now, only to greet it with a no?"

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

On my quest to read books published by Catholics and written by Catholics, I came across this title, which intrigued me. This was not what I expected. An intensely written story of a young woman who is trying to find answers from her past, and to resolve a present situation that is plaguing her. Simone takes a break from her life and live-in partner to travel back to her small town in Idaho, where she had spent the last years of high school before leaving everyone behind. She is searching for answers and is met with some pretty strange demons. Good writing, if a bit scary.

[Matthew Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling first novel from a writer I admire (both her conversion story and The Genesis of Gender are affecting). If I have a criticism, it's that it's pretty tricky having a character's major interior revelation hinge on a supernatural experience and I'm not sure Favale has quite pulled it off. Still the story beats, the prose, and the atmosphere were more than enough to keep me eagerly reading to the mostly satisfying conclusion.

[Abigail Blaser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not typically someone who likes thrillers or horror novels, but I found myself unable to put this book down. It was full of symbolism and meaning - reflective of both Favale’s academic interests and deep Catholic faith. For those intrigued but nervous about picking up a horror novel, I would say I found it frightening at times but it didn’t give me nightmares and the resolution was hopeful and full of light.

[Mary Beth Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t have time for a deep review but I will say that I appreciate the “courage” to write about perhaps the most controversial issues of our time, abortion and the Catholic Church. If only more people knew the Church’s (Christ’s) healing power! The writing was beautifully crafted. I enjoyed it immensely.

[Morning Glory]

I feel like I missed something here…reviews mentioned this book delves into the lies women tell themselves, but there were multiple spiritual visions too. I liked the setting and some of the realistic parts but was not captivated.

[Kaye · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just too much going on, and a MC who couldn't seem to remember anything. It was as if she had amnesia, but somehow didn't? Then there was a paranormal angle, adding to the whole general confused vibe. The message was good, I'll give it that.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not finish.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was written in a style different from what I usually read. Reading about Simone's struggle was very thought-provoking.

[Hannah Penn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this with a lot of skepticism and at the end I could not put it down. I will keep thinking about this book for awhile!

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the best book I have ever, ever read. Wow. It's unique and expertly written.

[Kaydi Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out really liking it, but it took a weird paranormal twist that I didn’t like.

[Lisa Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

So creepy !!!

[Mary Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird but okay

[Alexandra]

DNF: present tense; third person