The Priest's Boy

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Poverty, isolation, and religion form the backdrop for this collection
of 17 interrelated vignettes about life in a Cape Breton village during
the Great Depression.

Doucet writes with understanding and insight about a small group of
characters who struggle for existence and the future of their souls
against endless poverty, the domineering Roman Catholic Church, and
their own independent natures.

The central character is a 12-year-old who serves as altar boy and does
chores for the priest in exchange for room, board, and music lessons.
Priest, boy, and assorted villagers interact as the commonplace
challenges of life are thrown at them: love, death, pride, restlessness,
rum, unemployment. Both pathos and humor fill their days.

Doucet has mastered the art of selecting just the right details to
paint evocative “wordscapes.” His characters are realistic and come
to life on the page, winning our interest and empathy. His style is
highly successful, enabling the reader to visualize the setting and to
understand the characters’ inner struggles, conflicts, and yearnings.

Priest’s Boy is an outstanding first book; Doucet is destined for a
significant place among Canadian short-fiction writers.