The Churchgoer
Once I began reading this debut novel by Patrick Coleman, I had a hard time giving it up - trading hours of sleep before relenting and setting it on my nightstand. I was drawn in by an assortment of gritty and dirty characters, the type you don’t want to run into if you’re out alone at night. They’re definitely not your average lovable sorts, but you can’t stop turning the page to figure out what they’re going to do next. The lost souls escort you right along with them as they experience a multitude of highs and lows in an attempt to find a peace that seems to always be just out of reach.
Mark Haines is an ex-evangelistic youth pastor, a man renouncing his faith, a failure of a father, and a recovering alcoholic hell-bent on living a life of isolation; yet he can’t seem to distance himself from the mysterious events that creep into his world. There were so many moments in the story where I wanted to reach into the book to shake Haines or yell at the pages to warn him or beg him not to make another poor decision. I couldn’t resist picking up the book any chance I could to find out what trouble would find him next, or rather what trouble he sought out despite himself.
Though he doesn’t struggle with his choice to omit alcohol from his life, Haines does battle his inner demons over his denial of religion. He falls off the proverbial wagon of evangelism and relapses by overindulging in a deep-seeded desire he can’t control to help others who aren’t necessarily willing to accept it. In a novel that creates juxtaposition at every turn between Christians who walk the straight and narrow to those who do their dirty work behind the façade of the church, morality becomes a concept contorted to fit any situation. It’s an intriguing look at those who use their faith or lack thereof to further their own agendas.
If you enjoy dark themes and flawed characters, you will love The Churchgoer. Coleman doesn’t pull any punches, dragging you through the bowels of Hell alongside Haines. Suspense is sprinkled throughout the story, and it kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this novel and a comfy spot to sit. You won’t regret it.
*** The Churchgoer was dubbed a “Most Anticipated Book of Summer” by LitHub
*** Coleman’s debut novel is also being adapted for FX by Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) and starring Matthew McConaughey.
Patrick Coleman | Noir | July 2019 | 368 Pages
