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Communion
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Expected 2 Apr 26You didn't go to the seminary to become a priest, the rector had explained on their first morning. You went to learn what God was asking of you.
When Mack O'Brien left his home in Port Talbot for the seminary as a teenager, he didn't imagine he'd be back a decade later, unordained and at war with his faith. Back in his childhood bedroom, he remains committed to the idea of a moral life, but isn't entirely sure what that looks like.
He takes a job as a security guard at the local steelworks and begins an uneasy transition into the world of industry, brotherhood, and community he once rejected. When the men of the steelworks organise an unprecedented strike in protest against job cuts, he goes along with it. Meanwhile, his mother watches footage of past catastrophes and prays for the dead.
The last person Mack expects to see in the local club is Siwan Roderick—the woman who appeared out of the blue at the seminary one day to make a confession and swore him to secrecy. Mack kept his word. But as the day of the strike nears, tensions in the town escalate and allegiances are tested. Mack's loyalty to Siwan and his desperation to do the right thing will change both of their lives forever.
When Mack O'Brien left his home in Port Talbot for the seminary as a teenager, he didn't imagine he'd be back a decade later, unordained and at war with his faith. Back in his childhood bedroom, he remains committed to the idea of a moral life, but isn't entirely sure what that looks like.
He takes a job as a security guard at the local steelworks and begins an uneasy transition into the world of industry, brotherhood, and community he once rejected. When the men of the steelworks organise an unprecedented strike in protest against job cuts, he goes along with it. Meanwhile, his mother watches footage of past catastrophes and prays for the dead.
The last person Mack expects to see in the local club is Siwan Roderick—the woman who appeared out of the blue at the seminary one day to make a confession and swore him to secrecy. Mack kept his word. But as the day of the strike nears, tensions in the town escalate and allegiances are tested. Mack's loyalty to Siwan and his desperation to do the right thing will change both of their lives forever.
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Expected publication April 2, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Jon Doyle's superb debut novel, Communion, takes us to the industrial landscape of South Wales and the Port Talbot steelworks, where Mack O'Brien, recently returned from his time in a seminary, adjusts to life outside of religious enclosure and finds a different brotherhood with the men of the steelworks.
As his relationships with his co-workers, especially with a fellow security guard and with local woman Siwan, develop, Mack O'Brian finds his certainties in the world challenged.
There is a quiet beauty to Communion, a hauntingly beautiful restraint, and out of his themes, Jon Doyle is able to create comparisons between two worlds, and show in sharp detail the life of a man trying to find meaning and purpose in the world.
I highly recommend Communion, and it is one of my highlights for 2026 already, and one I will be foisting on friends. So thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
As his relationships with his co-workers, especially with a fellow security guard and with local woman Siwan, develop, Mack O'Brian finds his certainties in the world challenged.
There is a quiet beauty to Communion, a hauntingly beautiful restraint, and out of his themes, Jon Doyle is able to create comparisons between two worlds, and show in sharp detail the life of a man trying to find meaning and purpose in the world.
I highly recommend Communion, and it is one of my highlights for 2026 already, and one I will be foisting on friends. So thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Displaying 1 of 1 review