ANY BITTER THING, by Monica Wood, Chronicle Books, 345 pages, $23.95.
"Despite its abrupt arrival, my accident felt anticipated after the fact, like a long-delayed package arriving as a thwup on the doorstep. Finally, I thought, as I spun through the air and thudded back to earth, delivered."
The opening lines told by the main character in Monica Wood's beautifully written novel "Any Bitter Thing" foretell the pain of lost innocence and the redemption that comes with forgiveness.
The story follows Lizzy Mitchell, a woman recovering from a hit-and-run accident, as she tries to piece together the mysteries of her childhood.
Lizzy is orphaned at the age of 2 when her parents are killed in a plane crash. Her uncle Mike volunteers to raise her in the idealistic small town of Hinton, Maine. Uncle Mike is really Father Mike, a Catholic priest whose parishioners question the propriety of his raising a child. This does not faze Lizzy or the priest, who share a mutual adoration for each other.
Innocent and protected, Lizzy spends seven wonderful years with her uncle, who imparts his love and devotion to the ministry in every word and action. A series of events leads their jealous housekeeper to accuse Father Mike of sexually abusing his niece and Lizzy's world is turned upside down.
Father Mike is branded a "problem priest" and is sent to Baltimore for counseling and treatment in a place called a retreat center. Lizzy is spirited away to her crusty Aunt Celie's where she feels isolated and unloved for the first time in her life.
After a few weeks of Lizzy's begging and pleading for answers, Celie breaks the news that Father Mike has died of a heart attack and will never return. Lizzy is 9 years old and still confused as to why she was removed in the first place, as she is sent away to a Catholic boarding school and is forgotten.
Now, 21 years later, Lizzy is a high school guidance counselor in her old hometown, struggling to recover from a brutal car accident. The accident has apparently caused more than physical damage, as people begin to question Lizzy's sanity. She swears that Father Mike was in her hospital room, that he spoke to her, and that he saved her life.
Determined to prove she's right, Lizzy tries to make sense of her uncle's fall from grace. Along the way she dredges up more questions than answers, learning a tragic secret that could destroy those she loves the most.
Wood's characters show depth and complexity, and unexpected twists continually defy expectations. Wood's take on the modern-day suspicions of Catholic priests is new and enthralling. She circles from past to present in a richly layered plot that builds upon themes of spirituality, innocence and the question of best intentions.
E-mail: jharrison@desnews.com