Check out Living with Saints by Mary O’Connell.



This lyrical collection of short stories exposes the divine intervention of patron saints through uncommon visitations in the lives of contemporary girls and women. In the opening pages, Dymphna, a Catholic high school student, plans to get an abortion and is blessed with a mystery that grants her mercy and understanding. In “Veronica’s Veil”, the lover of an aging glam rocker now wants to have a baby. St. Agnes, the patron saint of girls, is appearing to freshman biology classes during the “How Christian Girls Blossom into Maturity” video with her own message of kindness, chocolate, nicotine and safe sex. And Our Lady of the Tattoo Parlor, St. Catherine Laboure, advises, “A girls’ life is an endless pilgrimage of joy and grief.” In the final story, a single mother considers becoming her boss’s mistress so that she can spend more time with her newborn daughter. Read each story slowly to enjoy every word. These vignettes are serious, clever, and poignantly funny, yet the somewhat irreverent portrayals of religion, saints and angels create uplifting and inspiring encounters with ancient religious figures in modern situations. Feminists seeking divine illumination or anyone who enjoys a finely crafted short story will find salvation in this book.

Reviewed by Lissa Staley