Even So

by Lauren B. Davis

A novel that explores the challenge and necessity of loving difficult people.

Angela Morrison has it all. She’s married to a wealthy man, adores her son, grows orchids, and volunteers at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry. What more could she want? More ― much more. And she’s willing to risk everything after meeting Carsten, the landscaper with the glacier-blue eyes.

Sister Eileen, who runs Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, struggles with the silence of God and harbours a secret she believes is unforgivable. She yearns to convince Angela she is loved by God, despite her selfishness and destructive behaviour, but in order for that to be authentic Eileen must learn to love her first, and that’s no easy task ― especially after Angela causes a terrible tragedy. Through the crucible of their relationship, Angela and Eileen discover how caring for the most difficult among us and practising forgiveness, no matter how painful, opens a door to the miracle of transformation.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Canada

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Lauren B. Davis’s most recent work is EVEN SO, to be published by Dundurn Press in the autumn of 2021. It is the story of what happens when compassion and passion collide. Love, faith, lust, guilt, redemption, and the moment of transformation of two women, one a privileged Princeton matron, the other a Catholic nun suffering the silence of god. Can we care about those who do harm? Who deserves forgiveness, and what does redemption mean? Read EVEN SO to explore these questions.

THE GRIMOIRE OF KENSINGTON MARKET (named one of the best books of 2018 by the Globe & Mail, and a finalist for the Fred Lerner, Canadian Authors Association Best Book of the Year), is a story about a bookstore that is the repository of all the stories in the world, and that no one finds unless intended to do so. It is also about addiction, love, guilt, and flying caribous.

Davis is also the author of AGAINST A DARKENING SKY, a novel set in 7th c. Northumbria, as well as THE EMPTY ROOM, published in 2013. A searing, raw and powerful a portrayal of the chaos and pain of alcoholism. Named one of the “Best Books of the Year” by The National Post, and the Winnipeg Free Press, “Editors’ Pick” by Amazon and a “Critics’ Pick” by The Coast (Nova Scotia). Told with compassion, insight and an irresistible gallows humor, THE EMPTY ROOM takes us to the depths of addiction, only to find a revelation at its heart: the importance and grace of one person reaching out to another.

OUR DAILY BREAD (2011), was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and named as one of the “Best Books of the Year” by The Globe & Mail and The Boston Globe.

She is also the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novels, THE RADIANT CITY (2006), a finalist for the Rogers Writers Trust Fiction Prize; and THE STUBBORN SEASON (2002), a named as one of the Top 15 Bestselling First Novels by Amazon.ca and Books in Canada. She has published two short story collections, AN UNREHEARSED DESIRE (2008) and RAT MEDICINE & OTHER UNLIKELY CURATIVES (2000). Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the CBC Literary Awards, the ReLit Award and she is the recipient of two Mid-Career Writer Sustaining grants from the Canadian Council for the Arts. A well-respected creative writing teacher who has taught in Geneva, Paris and Ireland, as well as in the USA and Canada, she is also a past Mentor with the Humber College Creative Writing by Correspondence Program, and past Writer-in-Residence at Trinity Church, Princeton. She now leads monthly SHARPENING THE QUILL writing workshops in Princeton, New Jersey.

Reviews

[CarolG · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years ago I read 'The Empty Room' by this author. I don't remember a lot about it and I wasn't writing reviews then but I gave it 3 stars so I guess I liked it but maybe not as much as I had hoped. When I saw Lauren Davis's newest book was available on Netgalley I requested it without paying much attention to the synopsis so I was a bit taken aback by the religious overtones almost from the beginning, including the author's foreward. I see now that one of the main characters is a nun so that would've been a dead giveaway if I'd been paying attention. So, the story is told from the points of view of the nun (Sister Eileen) and a woman named Angela, a well-to-do stay-at-home wife who volunteers at the food bank run by the nuns. After the first 10-15% I wasn't sure if I could stick with it but I skimmed some of it early on, eventually was pulled into the story and ended up with a grudging admiration for the book. I say grudging because I'm not a fan of the church or its doctrine. One thing I found extremely unusual is that the nuns in this book refer to God as "she". Really?!

Angela, feeling stifled and unappreciated in her marriage, begins a flirtation with a Danish man who is helping the food bank start a series of community gardens. The flirtation becomes a full-fledged affair and Angela makes a few bad decisions that result in far-reaching consequences. She confides in Sister Eileen who tries to guide her onto the right path. Angela wasn't very likeable as a character but I guess the whole point is that even unlikable people deserve love. Excessive alcohol consumption plays a part in this story as it did in The Empty Room. I was impressed by the author's depiction of the nuns in this story; they seemed so nice and down-to-earth. I'm afraid my opinion of nuns has been influenced by the stories I've heard and movies I've seen.

This book won't be for everyone but I liked it much more than I expected at the outset. The writing is beautiful and I really liked the ending.

My thanks to Dundurn Press via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Lauren Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope the reader will forgive me for giving my own novel five stars, but if we don't praise our own children, they will wobble out into the world all scarred and ragged.

So... Thank you for reading EVEN SO, a novel in which I explore the challenges of loving difficult people, and love’s role in redemption.

I’ve met a few people over the years who are able to love unconditionally. One of them is a Catholic nun. A few years ago, when I was in a grim emotional landscape, someone suggested I talk not to a psychologist but to a Spiritual Director named Sister Rita. Luckily, she didn’t care whether I was Catholic or not; she cared only about being a companion in a horrid time, and helping me find whatever invitation to a freer, deeper life beckoned from the pain. And she did just that.

At the same time, a number of people I knew were making life-altering decisions. Some for the better, some not so much. Some actually seemed hell-bent in throwing a grenade into the trenches of their lives, oblivious to the fact other people lived in those trenches, too.

Plus, I’ve been concerned over the years about how the gulf between the privileged and the marginalized grows ever wider, and there is very little understanding in the vast majority of the privileged for what the materially poor endure.

I began thinking about how it’s relatively easy to love people who’ve been harmed, but what about those who do harm? Questions about forgiveness and redemption, restoration and transformation, obsessed me. So, I began to write, and developed the characters: a woman of privilege who, in her quest for gratification, is careless of others; and a nun who suffers the silence of God even as she runs a food pantry. Through their relationship with each other, worlds collide, as do other things, and in the end it’s true we all, even nuns, need forgiveness and love.

Again, many thanks for reading. I hope you find something useful here.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a General Fiction. This book is told by two women that are living two way different lives. The first point of view this book is told in is Angela who is married to a well off man and is a stay at home wife. The second point of view this book is told in is Sister Eileen, and she runs Daily Bread Food Pantry. I think this book covers so many topics that is hard hitting and hard to read at times. I do think this author cover these topics so very well. I did feel that the beginning of this book was slow moving and at times boring. It took me a bit to get pulled into this book, but once I was pulled in I did not want to put it down. I loved that this book made me think about things, and It always made me feel from these characters even when I really did not like the things they had done. The characters in this book is not lovable, but they are not written to be lovable. I do feel that the characters are well developed. This book with touch you in so many different ways. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Dundurn Group) or author (Lauren B. Davis) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Note: I also won an ARC of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway, but this review is my own feelings about the book.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is themed on loving people who are hard to love - those who harm others in the most appalling ways.

Angela, a well-to-do wife from Princeton, is exhausted from carrying on with her long-dead marriage and is on the lookout for some passion, and while on this lookout, she ends up doing something dreadful, harming multiple lives. Sister Eileen, a nun who has devoted her life to the betterment of the downtrodden, is struggling to hear the voice of God and this disconnection is preventing her to sympathize with people like Angela. How can she help someone she finds detestable?

Lauren B. Davis takes us through this difficult journey from the POVs of Angela and Sister Eileen, to make us understand that even the most undeserving of us deserve love. The plot seemed quite ordinary and predictable, but Davis' heart-touching writing makes up for the lack of it and doesn't let the mind wander even when you know what's to happen next. There is a philosophical touch to the writing without being sanctimonious. The nuns in the story are interestingly likeable characters with a cool sense of humour and stand out.

Overall, an ordinary story with an extraordinary takeaway.

3.5/5🌟.
TW: Sexual Abuse, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death of an Animal, Car Accident, Divorce, Guilt, and Suicidal Thoughts.

[Kees Kapteyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lauren B. Davis is acutely aware of the growing divide in the United States between the haves and the have nots, and has written a novel which tackles this issue and many others with her new novel "Even So". In the novel's preface, she points out the lack of wilful understanding in the privileged of the ever-increasing difficulties of the materially poor, providing the premise of a novel that sweeps through many levels to deliver on many lessons on faith, empathy and love.

She embodies her thesis in her main character Angela, the pampered and vain wife of a successful businessman in affluent Princeton, who volunteers at a food bank in low-income Trenton, in an attempt to ease her own guilt over living with ample means while others struggle to make ends meet. There, she meets Sister Eileen, the strong, but embattled nun who struggles to negotiate with a painful past and fears of a growing chasm with the God to whom she has devoted her life. The two main characters orbit each other, sometimes with tidal pull and friction and other times with genuine affection and appreciation. When Angela meets with traumatic events that alter the path of her life, she turns to Eileen and both women entwine to co-pilot a rocky path towards self-actualization and redemption.

There is much sage wisdom in this novel’s pages, examining the complexities of both sin and faith, but Lauren B. Davis does not pool only from the pages of the Bible. Rather, she draws proverbial wisdom from many texts, Christian and otherwise. Like many of today’s theologians, Lauren Davis did not concentrate on just one faith, but researched many other philosophical and spiritual sources, thusly enriching the book with a broad diversity of thought. Lauren B. Davis considers much, dives deep, and comes up with a wonderful work of gorgeous depth and dynamism. Indeed, it is like a dive that takes you from shallow to deep, with all pressures that mount on the way, and the result when you surface is exhilarating.

The book also plays into the human drama and latches onto the soft but powerful laws of empathy. For example, she negotiates a beautiful assertion on the question of being pro-life on the issue of abortion. With the powerful salve of empathy, Davis maintains that a girl who has gotten an abortion should still feel that God loves her, that she is still valid as a person, not a sinner damned to hell for the murder of her unborn child, as so many pro-lifers would prefer to opine.

As a work of fiction, “Even So'' moves along a mounting pace that builds tension and drama artfully, which has always been one of Lauren B. Davis’s greatest talents. The disaster that befalls Angela takes you by surprise and the moment is inescapably brutal. It is the watershed of the book and of the protagonist’s life as a ruthless consequence of her own vain recklessness. Davis handles this with precision. This is not merely a feel good book, not a flowery perfumed Hallmark production, this is an incisive work of literary fiction.

And though there are many dark and ugly scenes in this book, the light still overtakes the darkness; the light of hope, strength, trust and love. For example, Sister Eileen counsels Angela to remain true to her whole self rather than the parts that she loathes. Later, in a discussion with a superior, Sister Eileen intimates one of the most beautiful lines in the book; that wherever you find your whole self, this is “Where God waits.”. Think of it. God waits where you will find your whole self, blemishes and all.

“Even So” is a book of deep understanding of the world from both spiritual and human perspectives. Although there is much wrong with The Church today, there is actually much more good being done by people that are completely separate from the ones doing the damage. Volumes exist of good words with a great consideration of the spiritual universe and its relationship with the chaotic and fluctuating human soul. These words are not exclusively from a Bible that so many quasi-Christians like to thump. Rather, this understanding comes from something more global and conglomerate than that. Davis pools from this great resource and in turn presents a great, well-thought-out and well rounded novel about faith, sin and the intricate dance between them. In it, we learn that God loves and cares for us with all our faults and blemishes, even so. That human dignity is fundamental in everyone, regardless of who they are, even so.

[Rita Woehlcke · Rating 5 out of 5]

If, like me, you are a reader who savors complex characters, dilemmas of the heart, climactic action, vivid writing, and realistic plot design, treat yourself to Even So by award-winning novelist Lauren B Davis. In her own inimitable style, she both juxtaposes and weaves together the lives of Angela Morrison, a Princeton wife with all the trappings of wealth, and Sister Eileen who runs the social outreach program in in a tough section of Trenton. This unlikely pair both struggle with emptiness, their own subtle and not so subtle prejudices, and the eternal question of love.
Angela is forced to face again the gnawing discontent that led her to “marry up.” She is afflicted with ennui that her lavish home, her orchid garden, her precious son, and her wealthy husband cannot assuage. For a while self-medication with alcohol makes the boring bearable. To find meaning she volunteers at Our Daily Bread, the soup kitchen where she meets Sister Eileen and, through her, the landscape designer Carsten. Since addictions and their delusional thinking never come in ones, it is no surprise when Angela fixates on him as the real solution to her emptiness, the love that will finally defeat her demons. For all her good intentions and best desires (and she does authentically have them), Angela sets a collision course for destruction.
That collision course embroils Sister Eileen in in a crisis of conscience. Sister Eileen, who has no problem loving the wounded and wounding people of Trenton’s streets, finds herself challenged to love the affluent Angela. She recognizes in Angela the same carelessness, the same self-absorbed recklessness, and the air of entitlement that had caused Eileen so much pain. People like that create unnecessary messes, messes that spill over into Eileen’s life, a life more difficult for God’s seeming absence.
With a gift for marvelous and complex characterization, Davis defies stereotyping. The perceptive juxtaposition of both Angela’s and Sister Eileen’s backstories traces the debris and the gifts bequeathed to each by her very imperfect family of origin. The themes of power and powerlessness thread the novel with choices, sometimes healthy, other times injurious. True to the ancient oriental axiom that crisis presents both danger and opportunity, Even So penetrates the depths of original wounds a person suffers, the invitation those very wounds offer for transformation, and the mystery of companionship that can bring healing and hope – always mutual healing.
The Nobel prize winner William Faulkner lauded the writer’s vocation, to speak of “the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about . . .” Lauren Davis does him proud.

[Onceinabluemoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 a slow creeper then suddenly you're all in, great book club selection with much to discuss.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eagerly anticipated new novel by Lauren B. Davis does not disappoint. The stage is set in affluent Princeton where housewife, Angela, is beginning to show signs of discontent with her husband, their friends and her life. It doesn't take long before Angela is making decisions that will irrevocably alter not only her life but the lives of those around her.
The brilliant writing takes the reader on this journey that makes us turn the pages ever more quickly while at the same time not wanting to experience the inevitable.

[Alisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren Davis describes how she wrote this book to explore how it can be easy to love someone who has been harmed, but much harder to love someone who has done the harm. This novel is an exploration of empathy and how to be loving and forgiving to someone even when the decisions they are making are frustrating, angering, and damaging to other people. I enjoyed Davis’ nuance as she described the choices and consequences of her complex characters.

The novel follows two women, switching between their points of view. The first is Angela, a Princeton housewife who is bored of her marriage and life. In her search for passion and excitement she is willing to burn down all the other parts of her life. Sister Eileen is a catholic nun who is dealing with a feeling of separation from her faith. Angela and Eileen work together at a food pantry, and when Eileen offers Angela the opportunity to work on the new community garden she unknowingly starts her down a destructive path. This culminates in one decision that forever impacts Angela’s life and several others around her.

Following this moment, Eileen as well as the reader must find empathy for Angela despite the harm she has caused to others around her. Davis finds a great balance between Angela’s perspective which allows the reader to understand her decisions, while also allowing us to understand Eileen’s struggle to love and help someone despite their selfishness.

The plot of this book was entertaining, but it was even more interesting to think about the character’s motivations and the larger questions about humanity and empathy that this book asks. Thank you to Dundurn Press for providing me the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Anita Salát · Rating 5 out of 5]

From this book I have received a lot more than I had expected.

'Unconditional love' sounds such a cliché, yet in this book it is depicted beautifully. The author says this novel is about loving difficult people, and how accurate wording this is! It is easy to love someone to whom harm was done, but not so easy to love someone who does or has done harm to others.

In this story two worlds collide: rich and poor, self-centered and unselfish, the world of Angela and Eileen. Both women has a decisive event in their life which they have to live with for the rest of their days. Full of emotions, human weaknesses and inner struggle, this is also a great read of hope, forgiveness and generosity.

This book is to be published in October 2021. I am grateful for NetGalley and Dundurn Press for an Advance Reading Copy.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Even So and provide an honest review.

I was initially drawn to this book after reading several others from Dundurn Press and actively sought out additional titles by the publisher. The premise sounded intriguing and the book did not disappoint. Lauren B. Davis' writing is absorbing and powerful as she tells a story of privilege, service, redemption and forgiveness. There were several passages that took my breath away due to the author's evocative and thoughtful descriptions, none more than paragraphs marking the passing of time near the end of the book. I reread the passage several times, as it was crafted so perfectly. I have already started to recommend this book widely and am looking forward to its publication date so that other readers have the chance to read this remarkable work.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dang it!! I have so much to do today but I started reading this book and can’t put the dang thing down. I’m halfway through it! No one should ever have a good looking Gardner (or Nanny)—ever, especially one that reads poetry. No good, no good at all! It seems as if Angela forgot to read Bram Stoker’s Dracula in lit class. Sister Eileen should have been making them plant lots of garlic in that garden and watered it with holy water. I’ll probably finish it seeing as I have a pile of work I’m sure I won’t get to today. Omg. When I’m done with it, I’ll need to bathe in Listerine and then fan myself to cool off!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even So by Lauren B. Davis is a compelling novel of redemption.

Now in her mid-forties, Angela Morrison is increasingly dissatisfied with her life. She has lost interest in her husband and although they are wealthy, she yearns for something more. What that something is, Angela has no idea. She has a plethora of acquaintances but only one close confidant. Angela is a bit shallow and snobbish but she does volunteer once a week at the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry. She likes Sister Eileen but they do not form an unlikely friendship of sorts until they begin planting a garden with landscaper Carsten Pilgaard. Angela is attracted to Carsten and she makes the first of a few bad decisions when she embarks on a torrid affair with him.

Angela’s only desire when she was younger is to have security. She marries Philip not out of love but out of her need to elevate herself out of poverty. For many years, she is content in her marriage, but with their son, Connor, off to boarding school, Angela becomes increasingly restless. She is not one for self-reflection so she does not give much thought to the consequences of her affair with Carsten. After a huge argument with Philip, Angela discovers the limitations of her illicit relationship and she makes a fateful choice that leads to her shocking downfall.

Sister Eileen works tirelessly helping others. But, for quite some time, she has been suffering a crisis of faith. Sister Eileen has made peace with much of her past yet she remains haunted (and horrified) by one stunning action that she just cannot let go. She is very observant and she knows exactly what her volunteer has been doing. Despite her inability to always like Angela, she does selflessly support and love her when Angela hits rock bottom and its aftermath.

Even So is a riveting novel that is spiritual without being preachy. Angela is not a likable character but it is not difficult to feel empathy for her as she struggles with the consequences for her decisions. Sister Eileen is flawed but this makes her much more realistic and easy to like. The storyline is engaging and moves at a steady pace. With unpredictable twists, Lauren B. Davis brings this thought-provoking story of grace to a surprising yet gratifying conclusion.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

More a spiritual story than a religious one (there's no overt demand to turn to God nor convert to a particular religion), which I like. The moral judgment does come in heavy-handed at times, at least for me, but it does fit with the characters and their story arcs. Ultimately, an emotional, moving tale of sin, guilt, and redemption, one that I can imagine recommending / gifting to family members/friends who are into such reflective meditations. 3.5 stars maybe?

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davis is the kind of writer that can capture a moment so perfectly, you mark it in the book so you can find it again. I consider books sacred, so I don’t actually mark them, even paperbacks, but Even So is filled with yellow post-its. Angela, a rich Princeton wife, volunteers at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry in Trenton, a center run by an order of nuns that dispenses food, clothing, and community. Dealing with the daily reality of the disenfranchised, Angela struggles with the smug generalizations her well-heeled friends make about the poor over dinner. With her son away at university, Angela becomes increasingly alienated from her Princeton life, spending more and more time at the Pantry. There, she meets Sister Eileen, who is going through her own dark night of the soul in her spiritual life. Their initially antagonistic relationship warms to something resembling friendship as each struggles with her own demons. This is not an easy read at times, but the characters are so real and the story so nuanced, that I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

[Loretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story. Lauren's novels are always a pleasure to read with relatable characters and topics.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The uniquely challenging (and fascinating) recent novels of Lauren B. Davis inhabit a blasted moral landscape of human weakness and depravity. In Our Daily Bread and The Empty Room, she fearlessly chronicles the myriad ways in which people damage themselves and hurt one another as they go about satisfying cravings and fleeing responsibilities. The world of these novels is a contemporary one filled with temptation. However, Davis is first and foremost a storyteller, primarily concerned with immersing her reader in an engaging drama. She is not interested in preaching or moralizing. Even So is another example of her consummate art. Chic, attractive forty-something Angela Morrison lives a pampered life in affluent Princeton, New Jersey. Married to Philip, a successful financier many years older than her, Angela is comfortable but bored. It is a dangerous sort of boredom that afflicts Angela, the kind that breeds bitterness and frustration. Fed up with her husband’s priggishness, Angela wants to feel young again. Her craving is for romance and adventure. But Angela also has a good heart: she loves her son Connor (who is just about to start university), and volunteers at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry in nearby Trenton, a town that long ago lost its industrial base and where poverty and homelessness are rampant. The Pantry is run by Sister Eileen. Sister Eileen is suffering from a crisis of faith: deeply troubled by God’s silence and tormented by guilt over an unforgivable act from her youth. Sister Eileen does not like Angela—she thinks the woman is spoiled and irresponsible—but her disapproval serves no purpose: she must, for the good of the Pantry and to remain true to her faith, view Angela through the rosy glow of God’s love. When an opportunity arises to turn the vacant lot next to the Pantry into a community garden, Eileen asks Angela to oversee the project along with Carsten, a professional landscaper. It turns out Carsten is exactly what Angela is looking for—unattached, attractive, attentive, with a mysterious air of foreignness—and a playful flirtation quickly blossoms into a full-blown affair. When Carsten gives her keys to his house, Angela begins to imagine their future together. Angela Morrison’s downfall, when it comes, is nobody’s fault but her own: the result of overblown, unjustified expectations and wilful blindness. But when her reckless behaviour turns tragic, she seeks an unlikely saviour in Sister Eileen. It is not unusual for Lauren Davis to take risks in her fiction—to place weak and reprehensible characters front and centre. In Even So, she has written a novel about a profoundly selfish woman who acts to satisfy her own desires with little regard for consequences or the pain she causes others. When those desires are thwarted, she becomes petulant and self-destructive. But Davis knows what she’s doing. The story she tells is suspenseful and moving, characters and setting are vividly drawn with precise attention to detail, the psychology of the novel is persuasive, her prose sparkles. The novel’s lesson is embedded in the drama and arises naturally from the action. Despite her main character’s deceitful nature and personal failures, we are drawn into a compulsively readable narrative that is impossible to put down.

Readers may not like Angela Morrison, but Lauren Davis ensures they will be captivated by her story.

[Maia Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even So had me hooked from the first sentence. I couldn’t put this book down. What’s not to like about a beautifully written story that asks existential questions and where God is decidedly gender neutral?

When Princeton housewife Angela realizes she’s in the wrong life, her resultant choices send her down a slippery slope to tragedy and the involvement of a Catholic nun who is haunted by her own missteps. You might think a story that also features a nun’s perspective might feel religious in tone, but Even So’s themes transcend religiosity and reveal something profoundly universal.

What happens when we’re asked to forgive a person who wrecked devastating tragedy? When that act of forgiveness comes with the invitation to forgive the deeply unforgivable moments in our own lives?

"Ordinarily this might have been the moment when Eileen would ask, what’s the invitation? Here, in this pain and darkness, what’s the invitation? To release? To forgive? But how did you ask these things of your own sister? This is why Freud should never have analyzed his own daughter. He knew too much, he projected too much. He knew so little."

Davis examines both the lead up and fallout to Angela’s tragedy and asks existential questions: Is a deeply flawed human deserving of redemption? And is it possible to be the bearer of unconditional love when haunted by one’s own devastating acts?

We are all broken in various degrees so if you don’t recognize some of your own missteps and regrets here, you might be kidding yourself. There’s a kind of raw wonder reading a story where the main character represents your shadow self. And watching the other main character be the heart of love with such grace and intensity.

“And this too shall pass,” said Eileen. “Eventually.”

There was laughter then, against the blinding light of the glittering sea, with all that depth and turbulence, unseen, unexpected and oh so dangerous.

Another reviewer mentioned the Giller quality of this novel and I agree. Masterfully written and an excellent book club choice that will keep the, “What would you have done?” conversation careening in interesting directions.

Rare is the book that strikes to one’s core and elicits those wow moments. Is it possible to offer yourself absolution for your own missteps and relentless sorrows? Read this book and find out.

[Barbara Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this e-book because it wasn’t available from the local library. This book did not grab me until two-thirds through. It is a slow, uneventful read until then. And I felt almost preached to at times. That some of the writing was about educating me, more so than entertaining me.
It was hard to connect with either Sister Eileen or the other main character, Angela.

Angela is an unhappy woman in a loveless marriage who had never loved her husband. Her marriage was based on the external, the material, which end up leaving her empty. So she tries to find meaning and do something worthwhile by volunteering, by helping the less fortunate and she crosses paths with Sister Eileen, who is in the midst of her own spiritual questioning.

Angela lives a nice comfortable life and is willing to throw it all away for someone she believes understands her. A man opposite of her husband. A man more exciting.

I had started reading this book and then saw reviews about a memoir, “Blow Your house Down” by Gina Frangello. I purchased that eBook (again, not available through my local library) and switched to reading it, then came back to finish this one. Coincidently, both books are about adultery.

I don’t think there’s much new about an unhappy woman ruining her life and making bad decisions.
Yes, it’s easy to love those who have been hurt by life. Harder to care about those who do harm. But in truth we are all both side of that coin.
This book revolves around spirituality and God. About making something good from something bad. About resurrecting your life.
Though it all felt very surface to me.

On page 261 when I read: She took out her laptop and wrote him an email.
I went, “Woah! She doesn’t have her laptop.”
So I went back and checked, doing a search for laptop… and on page 202, when she left her marital house: It dawned on her she hadn’t packed her laptop.

I noticed a few other little boo boos and yes, it’s hard to catch them all.
page 207 probably more upset that she realized (than)
page 233: on leg tucked up underneath her. (one)
Page 252: I don’t actually believe that old saw about everything happens for a reason. (saying)

All in all, it’s a typical fictional story… safe, on the surface.
If you’re not very familiar with spiritual concepts, or a woman taking the “wrong” path in life, you may enjoy this book more.

[Angélique (MapleBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been about to give up more time than I want to admit during the first half of the book. I couldn't relate to any of the two protagonists, and the romance part just put me off (I'm not a romance reader. Actually I'm pretty allergic to it). However, Lauren B. Davis is one of my favourite author and I yet had to read one disappointing book by her, so I pushed through.
Thankfully.
The second part of the book is where Davis does her magic, again, depicting the impossible: the human mind and all its contradictions, or how each individual is equally capable of the best and the worst in humanity. Finally both main characters are faced with the contradictions between their feelings and their actions, what they know to be the right thing and what they want to do. In some way, Sister Eileen and Angela travel symetrical paths, as one knows what she must do but fight her negative feelings, and the other knows what she wants to do but is plagued with guilt about it.
I found it very interesting that although Sister Eileen is Catholic, which I'm not, I wasn't bother by all the "God talk" because it wasn't preaching, just easy to relate from other perspectives: universal reflection on compassion, the why of forgiveness, an unprejudiced way to see and approach others.
Finally, I so appreciate the way the author researches her subject. The depictions of the Nuns's work, from the food bank to schooling support to jail volunteering, were do detailed, it was a bit of a documentary in itself. I really enjoyed this aspect too.
This is again a really good book by Lauren Davis, quite the thought-provoking type, which brought me back to one of her earlier novel The Empty Room. If you read and liked this one, you will probably love Even So. Just don't forget: push through this first half of the book!

[litost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your father was an alcoholic, even so;
You were abused by priests, even so;
You slapped a young child, even so;
Your marriage didn’t work, even so;
What God has in mind for you is more wonderful than you could imagine.

A highly sexual woman meets a highly spiritual woman and find they need each other. I enjoyed this novel right from the start, with Angela’s sexual musings about her husband reminiscent of Updike’s Couples. I’m not religious, but I loved Sister Eileen’s spirituality. It didn’t seem “religious” as she did not hold the church in high regard, having been abused by priests, but she still kept her faith and surrendered herself to the will of God. But she is suffering a crisis of the soul, God is silent to her. Angela’s selfish & destructive behavior infuriates Eileen, allowing her to access her own rage and continue healing. She knows that she must not judge Angela, only see her as God sees her, with love. “God makes good things come, even from bad things.”

The writing is exquisite: “… autumn is a lesson in the beauty of letting go … to sit here, with the cathedral of trees, the stained glass of the leaves, is a luxury beyond measure” p320-1.

Thank you Lauren B Davis for Even So, I loved it.

[Hollay Ghadery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even So is such an absorbing novel.

Alternating between the stories of a listless, wealthy Princeton matron and a nun who is grappling with her faith, Davis’ superbly developed, complicated, and at times, teeth-grindingly unlikable characters make Even So an engrossing exercise in testing the limits of our compassion and forgiveness.

Even So asks us to consider our own guilt and perceived blamelessness. It asks us to breakdown the stories we tell ourselves to justify our decisions. It doesn’t ask that we come away with all the right answers, but encourages us to ask more honest questions.

Absolutely recommend!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, after going to school near the Princeton area, I loved the references.

This is such a different story from what I usually read. However, I couldn't believe how beautifully written it was even though the characters are not all that likeable, the story is very different from what I have every read before

[Regan Olafson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just fabulous! This book had me from the first page, and rightfully so! This is such a relatable story for many, struggling through marriage, vocations, temptation, parenthood, poverty. Give it to God. Let Him “take it.” This was just a wonderful story about letting go of “self,” forgiveness, loyalty, love and loss. Beautifully done!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy.

[Jennifer Golin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say I found 2/3 of this book hard to read. Not because it wasn't well written, just the opposite. I so understood what Angela was going to do despite what I as an outsider knew what was best. But isn't this often how life goes? As I was close to the end of the book I was worried that Ms Davis was going to wrap things up in an easy, unrealistic manner. Without giving anything away, I will just say that the ending was very well written. There are teachings for all of us in this book.

[Lynnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this interconnected story between these two female characters. I was reminded of the play Doubt. Two women from very different backgrounds that find strength in each other despite their flaws and faith.

[Ania Szado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's a haunting and humane read that's stimulating on both a mind and soul level. I finished it a few weeks ago and find I'm still thinking about the questions it raises about love, responsibility and spirituality, as well as the frustrations and struggles the characters go through. It strikes an exquisite balance (and tension) between disturbing and affirming – one that makes you want to keep reading, hoping for the latter with your heart in your throat.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and moving story of losing control and finding yourself. Highly recommended.

[Carol O'Neil]

This is such a wonderful book to read. It contains all the things I look for in a novel; a sprawling time span, a family, secrets and a deep dive into relationships, both romantic and familial. I had read in a review that I would easily 'hate' the main character...much the opposite and I love an unlikeable character, finding them interesting to read about and their motivations intriguing. Lauren wrote the character as someone I meet every day. I actually cried at the ending not only because of the empathy I had for her but how proud I was of her internal insight. Davis contrasts the memories of the past against the present day, taking us through Angela's days at home and at the Food Pantry. Her mind is consumed with thoughts of Carsten, Philip, Conner, her mother. This book takes us all the way back to Angela's troubled childhood relationships and the impact it had upon her. 'Even So' is an excellent character study of a woman who is at a crossroads of her life and examines how seemingly small decisions can have huge repercussions. I absolutely loved it and found it an immersive and consuming novel. Highly recommended – it is one of my books of the year.

[Cynthia Hail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love her work. Really makes you think, and at the same time her books are so entertaining. Loved this one.