Longing for an Absent God

<p><i>Longing for an Absent God</i> unveils the powerful role of faith and doubt in the American literary tradition. Nick Ripatrazone explores how two major strands of Catholic writers--practicing and cultural--intertwine and sustain each other.</p><p>Ripatrazone explores the writings of devout American Catholic writers in the years before the Second Vatican Council through the work of Flannery O'Connor Andre Dubus and Walker Percy; those who were raised Catholic but drifted from the church such as the Catholic-educated Don DeLillo and Cormac McCarthy the convert Toni Morrison the Mass-going Thomas Pynchon and the ritual-driven Louise Erdrich; and a new crop of faithful American Catholic writers including Ron Hansen Phil Klay and Alice McDermott who write Catholic stories for our contemporary world. These critically acclaimed and award-winning voices illustrate that Catholic storytelling is innately powerful and appealing to both secular and religious audiences.</p><p><i>Longing for an Absent God</i> demonstrates the profound differences in the storytelling styles and results of these two groups of major writers--but ultimately shows how taken together they offer a rich and unique American literary tradition that spans the full spectrum of doubt and faith.</p>