The Divine Economy of Salvation

Susan Merskey is freelance writer in London, Ontario.

Because of her mother’s declining health, Angela H is sent to a
Catholic boarding school. Feeling lonely and neglected, she finds
comfort with a rebellious group of girls calling themselves The
Sisterhood. On the verge of becoming women, the girls taunt and tempt
each other with their budding sexuality. Angela’s festering sadness
and frustration find a shocking target when The Sisterhood’s rituals
become violent during the initiation of the angelic Bella.

Tormented by her past, the adult Angela seeks refuge in the sheltered,
religious life of a convent. Twenty-five years later, buried evidence of
Bella’s death emerges and threatens to shatter the safety of
Angela’s existence. As she agonizes over who might want to expose her,
she also confronts her guilt over Bella and her grief over her
mother’s death, questioning the nature of her own faith and wondering
whether the sins of the past can ever be forgiven.

This dark and suspenseful tale shows how the crimes of youth can haunt
adult life. The author captures both the innocence of adolescence and
its cruelty. She also allows us to see adult life inside the rarely
explored and shadowy world of the convent.

Uppal, who teaches creative writing at York University, has published
three volumes of poetry. Her background in poetry adds depth, power, and
passion to the prose in The Divine Economy of Salvation.