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Published May 2017
352 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
New York Times bestselling author Philip Caputo tells the story of a Franciscan priest struggling to walk a moral path through the shifting and fatal realities of an isolated Mexican village.
The Mexican village of San Patricio is being menaced by a bizarre, cultish drug cartel infamous for its brutality. As the townspeople try to defend themselves by forming a vigilante group, the Mexican army and police have their own ways of fighting back. Into this volatile mix of forces for good and evil (and sometimes both) steps an unlikely broker for peace: Timothy Riordan, an American missionary priest who must decide whether to betray his vows to stop the unspeakable violence and help the people he has pledged to protect.
Riordan's fellow expatriate Lisette Moreno serves the region in a different way, as a doctor who makes "house calls" to impoverished settlements, advocating modern medicine to a traditional society wary of outsiders. To gain acceptance, she must keep secret her rocky love affair with artist Pamela Childress, whose troubled emotions lead Moreno to question their relationship.
Together, Lisette and Riordan tend to their community. But when Riordan oversteps the bounds of his position, his personal crisis echoes the impossible choices facing a nation beset by instability and bloodshed.
Based on actual events, propelled by moral conflict, and animated by a keen and discerning sensibility, Some Rise by Sin demonstrates yet again Philip Caputo's generous and insightful gifts as a storyteller.
"Starred Review. Pulitzer-winner Caputo returns to the world of his last novel, Crossers (2009), writing about the complex and chaotic border zone with a reporter's eye and novelist's heart; few settings provide such depressing but rich fodder for an exploration of faith and morality. An old-fashioned novel in the best way, a work of genuine heft, Some Rise by Sin explores the search for meaning in a place where the stakes are highest and does so with unwavering focus." - Booklist
"[A] a thought-provoking story of unthinkable brutality ... poised as he is between unforgiving vows, lofty ideals, and searing chaos, Caputo's Riordan is an everyman whose struggles illuminate the contradictions of human nature and the mysteries of faith." - Publishers Weekly
"Powerful and timely, this novel is especially recommended for fans of politically focused literary fiction." - Library Journal
"This is a compelling novel that wraps up too neatly, belying the uncertainty and turmoil at its core." - Kirkus
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Michael Priest
Novelist and journalist Philip Caputo (1941 — ) was born in Chicago and educated at Purdue and Loyola Universities. After graduating in 1964, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps for three years, including a 16-month tour of duty in Vietnam. He has written 17 books, including two memoirs, five books of general nonfiction, and nine novels. His latest effort, scheduled for publication in summer 2019, is Hunter's Moon, a collection of interconnected short stories set on Michigan's wild and starkly beautiful Upper Peninsula.
His most recent novel, Some Rise by Sin, published in May 2017 and now available in paperback, tells the story of Timothy Riordan, a Franciscan priest struggling to walk a moral path through the shifting and fatal realities of an isolated Mexican village that is ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Philip Caputo's Website
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