Grace

In this gripping and poignant tale Catherine Finley leaves her dream job and the heartbreak of a failed relationship to take a new position closer to her ailing father Douglas. As the undergraduate dean at Franklin College she quickly discovers the history of her bosss sexual abuse. When she becomes his latest victim she finds herself in conflict with the colleges female president who will do anything to protect its secrets. Catherine seeks refuge in visits to her fathers shore home but powerful memories unsettle her. A web of memories reveals Douglass meaningful romance in the 1960s with Grace a pioneer in the Civil Rights Movement and his disappointment that social justice promised during that turbulent time was never fully realized. Catherines professional and personal worlds collide as she discovers the Colleges secrets are woven into her fathers story.Nancy Allens Grace is a stirring investigation of sexual politics and womens tenuous relationship with power. The novels lyric prose conveys the power of memory to shape and redefine struggles with faith self-doubt and love lost.