New Literary Work Explores Faith, Family Secrets, and Gun Culture Through the Eyes of Novice Nuns

A new literary work has emerged that intertwines the spiritual journey of two novice nuns with the stark realities of family dementia and American gun culture. The narrative centers on Nanette and Josie, two women who have recently begun their vocation in a Roman Catholic order. Their story unfolds against the backdrop of a midwestern late spring, characterized by chaotic weather patterns that swing between extreme heat and sudden rain. This setting serves as a metaphor for the internal turbulence both women experience as they navigate the early stages of their religious commitment.

The novel introduces its protagonists through a moment of quiet reflection after prayer, as they walk toward a bus stop. Josie, eager for the active ministry aspects of their vocation, shares an Instagram group called @NunsAgainstGuns with Nanette. The group features images of older sisters marching in the streets, wearing matching orange T-shirts and carrying signs that read “DISARM HATE.” For Josie, the challenge of being a novice is staying close to the convent; she desires to get out into the world to help others. Her motivation is clear and outward-looking: she wants to work for the Lord all her days. In contrast, Nanette’s reasons for entering the convent are described as personal and, in her own assessment, selfish. She has told Sister Phoebe Catherine that she has known God was calling her to this life for many years but needs to understand why. The sister’s response, offering to help her try to understand that call, provided a moment of profound release for Nanette, so great was the emotional weight lifted from her shoulders.

The narrative delves into Nanette’s complex family dynamics, specifically her relationship with her mother, Barbara. Five years prior, Barbara had engaged Nanette in a difficult conversation in the parking lot of a memory care facility where Barbara’s sister, Aunt Frances, was living. During this visit, Aunt Frances was combative, and the atmosphere was tense. Barbara, in her car, which still smelled of new plastics and adhesives, asked Nanette to promise that if she began to show signs of Alzheimer’s disease, Nanette would tell her directly. Barbara insisted that she had a plan and meant it, contrasting her own preparedness with the vague, often dismissive sentiments people express about being “shoved out to sea” on an ice floe. Nanette promised, though she could not say aloud that she suspected the disease might already be present. She had observed moments where her mother’s thoughts seemed to stop, likening the experience to a sudden tip into a shiny, empty pot. This metaphor of dementia as a hollow, ringing silence persists throughout the narrative.

The story highlights the isolation Nanette feels within her family unit. She is the late arrival, the one who did not grow up with their father around or attend the fancy private school in Ohio that her sisters, Sloane and Laurel, did. Her very name, Nanette, was her mother’s idea, chosen because Barbara simply liked it, whereas Sloane and Laurel were named by their father. This difference marks her as the odd one out. In a recent video chat, Nanette gathered that Sloane and Laurel had been conferring with each other and had decided to “loop her in” on a matter concerning their mother. Laurel appeared distracted during the call, while Sloane kept making prayer hands, the heavy clink of her rings audible through Nanette’s headphones. Nanette wonders if her sisters are keeping their mother’s secret separately, or if one of them has already told Barbara that it is time. The possibility that their mother has realized her own condition and acted on it adds a layer of suspense and grief to Nanette’s contemplation.

The narrative takes a sharp turn when the two novices visit a local gun range. The range is described as a long, low, single-story brick building with a large parking lot and an American flag by the entrance. Inside, the atmosphere is mundane, resembling a place where one might rent camping gear. Weapons are displayed in glass cases, and branded merchandise is arrayed on a pegboard. The clerk behind the counter mistakes them for latecomers to the “Guns & Gals League,” a group already present on the range. Josie chooses a 9mm Glock from the case, and the women are read a list of rules, including restrictions on video recording and safety guidelines regarding pregnancy. They are offered the choice of a bull’s-eye or a human figure as a target; Josie selects the bull’s-eye.

The shooting range itself is depicted as a clean, high-tech environment, not unlike a bowling alley, with each lane divided by a short partition. Even with thick protective headphones, the sound of the gunfire is described as unbearable and unsustainable. Nanette observes the members of the Guns & Gals League at the end of the range, a diverse group of women of all ages. One tiny woman in a sari gestures excitedly to a tall girl with tattooed sleeves, both smiling. Nanette reflects on the paradox of these women, noting that while they are potential killers in this context, everyone is a potential killer whether or not they are holding a gun. This observation underscores the novel’s thematic exploration of violence, preparedness, and the human capacity for harm.

Josie explains her plan for the visit: Nanette will film her firing at the target, and then Josie will put the gun down and speak her truth. Nanette notes that captions will be necessary for the video due to the noise. She reflects on her father, who is now retired and writes short stories set in fourteenth-century France, and wonders if he has ever loaded a gun. Her mother, Barbara, had a long list of skills every woman should have, including changing a tire, rewiring a lamp, and understanding investments, but guns were not on that list. However, watching Josie load the gun, Nanette sees it as a skill Barbara might approve of in the interest of preparedness. Barbara was not someone who flinched. The narrative closes with Nanette doing a test video to see how she looks, while contemplating that her mother might have changed her mind, or that God might have changed her mother’s mind, leaving the ultimate outcome in divine hands.