All Saints

by Liam Callanan

The acclaimed author of The Cloud Atlas returns with a wondrous second novel. Set in a small beachfront Catholic high school, narrated by a beautifully complex heroine–theology teacher Emily Hamilton–All Saints is at once a mystery, a love story, and a powerful rumination on secrets, temptation, and faith.

By life’s midpoint Emily has seen three husbands, dozens of friends, and hundreds of students come and go. And now her classroom, long her refuge, is proving to be
anything but.

Though her popular, occasionally irreverent church history course is rich with stories of long-dead saints, Emily uneasily discovers that it’s her own tumultuous life that fascinates certain students most. She in turn finds herself drawn into their world, their secrets, and the fateful choices they make.

A novel of mystery and illumination, calling and choice, All Saints explores lives lived in a fragile sanctuary–from Emily and her many saints to a priest facing his own mortality and a teenager tormented by desire. Told with grace and compassion, this is a spellbinding novel of provocative storytelling.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Novels, Drama, Book Club

288 pages, Hardcover

First published February 27, 2007

About the author

Liam is the author of The Cloud Atlas (Delacorte, 2004; Dial, 2005), All Saints (Delacorte, 2007; Dial, 2008), Listen (Four Way, 2015) and the upcoming Paris by the Book (Dutton, 2018). He serves in the English department of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and was previously its chair, as well as coordinator of its Ph.D. program in creative writing. He has regularly contributed to local and national public radio, and is possibly the only person now living (but consult your own Venn diagram) who has written for all of the following: the Wall Street Journal (on zeppelins, jetpacks, and touring Paris and Greece with children's books), The Awl, Medium, Commonweal, Esquire.com (on swimming and flying), Slate, the New York Times Book Review, the Times op-ed page, the Washington Post Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes FYI, Good Housekeeping, Parents, Milwaukee Magazine and elsewhere.

His short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in a variety of literary journals, including Gulf Coast, the New Haven Review, Tinge (where his story was named one of the Millions Writers Award Notable Stories of 2011 by storySouth), the Writers Chronicle, Blackbird, Crab Orchard Review, Southern Indiana Review, Caketrain, failbetter and Phoebe. Liam is also the creator and co-executive producer of the Poetry Everywhere animated film series.

And yep, he knows all about the other novel that goes by the name Cloud Atlas. To hear him tell it, it's been a fun ride: http://bit.ly/on-another-cloud

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book because Liam Callanan is such an entertaining speaker and a Wisconsin (local) author. But. I had trouble making myself finish it and found myself wanting to grab the main character by the shoulders and shriek "Snap out of it!" So, if Callanan was trying to evoke strong emotion, he succeeded.

Pace was slow, excrutiatingly so for me. The story thread about the three students had promise and though that promise remained unfulfilled, Paul's character/story were enough to keep me going to the end.

If you're looking for a good read,spend your money elsewhere.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY liked this book; not everyone would, however. It has few joyful parts to it. Rather, there is one crisis (or weird incident), after another. In the same fashion as Wally Lamb in SHE'S COME UNDONE, we have a male author taking a female point of view. Calanan writes beautifully and captures Emily's slightly injured, slightly vulnerable, quite cynical characterization perfectly. ALL SAINTS refers to the name of the Catholic high school. I enjoyed the saints' stories intermixed with the plot. The author did a wonderful job with character development although some layers of Martin and Emily remain up to the reader to figure out. The minor characters were important and appealing. Would I have voted for a different ending? Probably, but his ending worked well. I'd definitely recommend the novel-it's definitely "book club" worth.

[Meghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The syntax of this novel is obtuse. It is very difficult to differentiate between the narrator's internal dialogues and actual conversations in the book. It is also extremely hard to identify what happens in plot and what is imagined by the narrator.

While reading it you don't develop any connections to the characters so you don't care what happens to them, even when you can figure it out.

The info provided on some of the saints is mildly interesting but the same information, plus more, could certainly be gained by reading a book actually about the lives of saints.

This book was loaned to me which I am glad about because if I had spent the thirteen dollars listed as the cover price on it I would be very irritated and desperately want my money back.

If you are bored and can find it for less than 3 bucks, or at the library, it might be an okay choice to read if there aren't any backs of cereal boxes around.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of how a neurotic woman teaching at a Catholic high school assumes everything is always about her.

Okay, I'm exaggerating. This is the story of Emily Hamilton, a woman who is constantly restating her name, as well as the pronoun "I," throughout this story of her romantic entanglements with students and a dying priest. I initially thought the approach would be satirical - Emily's propensity for saying clearly ridiculous things like "when I am - finally - elected president or pope" don't seem to allow for any other possibility! But the weight and seriousness of each successive tragedy that befalls her and those she cares about seem to turn this into a story about horrible things happening to someone who is too intensely neurotic to find any effective way of coping with them, and that makes for a very hard read indeed. Also difficult - watching her make a student's complicated sexuality, another student's pregnancy, a colleague's dying wish - all about her, her needs, her hang-ups. I had also guessed all the the supposedly shocking plot twists ages in advance.

Part of me wants to go on criticizing; the rest of me doesn't want to make the effort. I have much higher hopes for The Cloud Atlas.

[Pauline Harder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently a pullitzer prize short lister, but deliberately tries to be vague and obscure. Characters never say anything they are thinking out loud - and never even let us know what they are thinking but just hint at it as if if we were more perceptive readers we'd surely know. But we're too damned dumb - or the author is just so subtle and esoteric... Almost can't picture any of the characters - no real sense of who they are. Seems pretentious.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both frustrating and beautiful this is one of the more powerful books that I've read in a long time. It's not often that I would want to both hurl a book against the wall for not telling me something, and then moments later make me pause and think for 10 minutes. Better to read with less distractions, where you can really take some time with it.

[dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catholic theology? An illicit affair between a teacher and a student? A very sarcastic narrator? What's not to love here?

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book as I started it. I think my mood changed while I was reading it and it became somewhat unappealing as I moved along. However, I think that was more me than the book. I found the characters and their interactions interesting. The story was different and didn't necessarily take the easy way out.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book as I started it. I think my mood changed while I was reading it and it became somewhat unappealing as I moved along. However, I think that was more me than the book. I found the characters and their interactions interesting. The story was different and didn't necessarily take the easy way out.

[Isabella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what to say about this book. It kept me interested but possibly only because of the Catholic references to Saints, etc. It was a big jumble of failed relationships which I found hard to relate to. If you are looking for a read of flawed people who still carry on without much joy then you will like it. I found it mildly interesting but depressing.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually, if I dislike I book this much I don't bother to finish it. But I was curious about how it would end and what would happen....and really what the point of the book was. So I finished.

As other reviewers have commented, I found the protagonist annoying.

I was annoyed because the book skipped around in time and it was hard to get bearings on which events had happened before and after some of the others...or why they mattered. Really, what was the point of the 3 ex husbands? What happened after she left the "retreat" where she was as a teenager? Who knows.

[Mary Norfleet · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. It was very rambling and didn't make any sense to me!

[Baglady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comedic tragedy, tragic comedy, your choice. A 50-something now single Catholic female teacher narrates the tale of her never-quite-right life, with finally ( at last) insight into why everything ended up the way it did, and not necessarily the way she wanted. A conversational style lends itself to feeling like one is sitting beside the narrator sharing a bottle of wine - which was destined for consecration at the altar until it was appropriated for personal use! The story jumps back and forth in time, occasionally becoming confusing to this reader. There were spots I couldn't tell if a conversation was a real-time event or a "wish it had happened this way" fantasy or a reiteration of past true discussions. The background theme of Catholic saints' lives woven throughout the story is sometimes distracting, but with patience I was able to knit together their relevance to the narrator. Several love stories are presented, none of which are as they first seem, and none of which end up happy. For a woman with of history of thumbing her nose at "appropriate" behaviors, she is unexpectedly reluctant to act on her true feelings which would result in an inappropriate (in Catholic traditionalist eyes) resolution to the story. I'm sure there is plenty of symbolism that I've missed at first read, may want to try it again when I can stop in the middle of reading to really think about the messages hidden in the events.

[Marian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in a small beachfront Catholic high school, narrated by a beautifully complex heroine–theology teacher Emily Hamilton–All Saints is at once a mystery, a love story, and a powerful rumination on secrets, temptation, and faith.

By life’s midpoint Emily has seen three husbands, dozens of friends, and hundreds of students come and go. And now her classroom, long her refuge, is proving to be
anything but.

Though her popular, occasionally irreverent church history course is rich with stories of long-dead saints, Emily uneasily discovers that it’s her own tumultuous life that fascinates certain students most. She in turn finds herself drawn into their world, their secrets, and the fateful choices they make.

A novel of mystery and illumination, calling and choice, All Saints explores lives lived in a fragile sanctuary–from Emily and her many saints to a priest facing his own mortality and a teenager tormented by desire. Told with grace and compassion, this is a spellbinding novel of provocative storytelling.

[Mai Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to give this five stars, but the end was so sad that I think I have to leave it at four. The characters in this book are so rich -- so rich that I almost wish I was Catholic. Just kidding!

Talk about a bizarre love traingle (it may have had five sides), of all places, at a Catholic high school (called All Saints) on the beach in L.A. I don't want to get into details, but the main character was quite a mess, and I love the way she told her story, picking pieces from the present and the past in a way that kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time, but knowing enough to understand the situation at hand.

Plus, it's got high school drama, my favorite subject! And codgery old priests. Great book.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a truly different character study of a fascinating complex woman -- I laughed out loud a few times, was captivated by the insightful observations at others, yet could not help noticing that some of the details just did not hold together. Perhaps my problem with this book is that it represents the postmodern constructivist view of identity and I favor the idea that, at least mentally, people are driven to create coherent narratives that explain themselves. I so wanted, and did not get that to a satisfactory degree, from Emily (the protagonist). Perhaps it is a bit that the author, although he "did" a female voice masterfully, just simply did not "get" (or present that he did) the psychological impact of menopause.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what to think about this one. At first I really disliked it--the narrator seemed so irritatingly self-absorbed (yeah, I know, if you're the narrator, it really is all about you), and it jumps around in time constantly. Some lines are very clever and some are annoyingly too clever. There are moments of beauty and some parts that seem profound, but I'm sort of mixed up about how it all comes together--or does it come together? I went looking for a professional review to see if someone had attempted to pull it all together, but I couldn't find anything helpful. I'd consider reading it again--I suspect it would offer a lot in a second reading, but I probably don't have the patience! Could someone else out there read it and tell me what you think?

[Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was our latest book club pick, chosen by a woman who's good friends with the author's cousin. This was a intricate story, woven with tales of saints. I found Callanan's short, fractured sentences endearing, emphasizing the conversational nature of this story. Our group was intrigued at the prospect of reading this book written by a male author but told from the perspective of a woman. I'll admit, I had pictured a more masculine heroine until some of her physical details were revealed later in the book. I'm interested in hearing what the rest of the group thought about this read...

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily Hamilton seduces the reader the same way she draws people to her in real life. None of us escape unharmed. Emily is so sure she knows what other people are thinking that she never listens and by not listening she destroys other people's lives. Of course, all of us will recognize pieces of ourselves in the narrator and that in itself is a cautionary tale.

This is a very interesting and engaging novel. You may not ultimately like the book but it has a haunting quality that stays with the reader.

[Beth Caruso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how to review this book … the writing was in many ways interesting and creative. The story line made me crazy. The book took on a number of very serious story lines and tossed them around as if they were everyday occurrences. At times I wondered if I wasn’t following the story correctly – but I was. Most of the story was somewhat slow moving and then the last 50 pages were all action most of which didn’t add up to me. So why 3 stars instead of one or two … the writing and the fact that I could not imagine not finishing it.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing subject matter - scandal at a Catholic school- interspersed with histories of the lives of saints. I appreciated the unexpected turns of the story, the honesty with which the narrator, Emily, examines her ability to love, and the fresh conclusion she draws. Her story, however, pales next to that of my favorite character, Martin, the priest having a crisis of faith. Structurally, Emily interrupts herself and backtracks often, inhibiting the flow of the narrative.

[DeRay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully surprised at how solid this book was. Not only was I engaged from the beginning to the end because of a well-planned plot, but the narrative voice was nuanced and authentic in an intriguing and artful way. And I can appreciate a piece of literature that is simply that -- a piece of literature. This book made no pretensions about changing lives or being the harbinger of a new moral code. It delivered a fine story and did it well.

[Sheila Reno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting that a male author can be the voice of a 50 year old woman and make it work. It was hard to get the rhythm of his writing...a lot of not necessary by-the-ways...but refreshing in some ways as today's short novels are so succinct that it may spoil you for wordy prose. The plot was good and each of the characters had value and meaning. Good read. Looking forward to his "The Cloud Atlas." It sounds really exciting.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hated the ending, but not because it was wrong or out of tone with the rest of the book. Otherwise, it was a rapturous reading experience and I was utterly charmed by the foul-mouthed, profane, irreverent, sarcastic Catholic school teacher with poor impulse control. If there were more people like this in it, I'd still be Catholic. I plucked this one at random off the library shelf for my Mom and then cracked it cautiously when she was done and my Tuesday night was totally hijacked.

[Emily]

Server issues, Goodreads. Server issues. Before I start a rival website managed by my cat but still run better than yours.

Another man who doesn't know how to write a realistic woman. Another author who uses thousands of words and hundreds of commas to say absolutely NOTHING. This is a relatively short book that should have read very quickly and instead it just dragged, taking my will to live with it.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like Callanan's conversational writing style, and this is an interesting story of faith, and the dysfunction it can sometimes cause. I did have a problem believing that this was a woman narrator, however, I felt the voice was very masculine. The ending, also seemed to come out of nowhere, and I had to reread it several times to understand what had happened. Overall, an enjoyable read nevertheless.

[Curlita · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh. I had high hopes for this book about a teacher at a Catholic school. Although well written, the plot deteriorates into a classic love... rectangle? pentacle? It's annoying to read about a woman of a certain age getting all googly about a teenage boy. Characterizations tend toward the 2-dimensional.

[Viki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Precious but entertaining. As I am near the protagonist's age (50), its a little hard to feel sympathy for her as she succumbs to her fascination for a high school student. But I am fascinated by the intercession of the saints' lives with her narrative.

Just about the time the heroine started to get into the pants of one of her students I lost interest.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the narrator's irreverent point of view and the writing style, but ultimately ding the story for predictability of plot points which are supposed to be surprising. Also, at the time I read it, the tragedy piled upon tragedy just wore me down. Maybe I needed to read an uplifting story about puppies rescuing children instead.

[Sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really disappointing. I picked it because the author has ties to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. I was hoping to give a "local" author a bit of a boost. But the book turned out to be much darker than I expected, with a questionable theme of a student-teacher affair, that wasn't terribly creative.