The Father Pat Stories

Sheila Martindale is poetry editor of Canadian Author and Bookman and
the author of No Greater Love.

Religion, politics, and sex figure prominently in this collection of
loosely linked stories about an unconventional Anglican priest and his
friends, family, and parishioners. The stories are well conceived and
interesting, but not without their flaws (which include confusing
flashbacks and an above-average number of grammatical and typographical
errors). If you can rise above these annoyances, however, you will
probably find yourself caught up in the story of the priest, who is
fired after he confesses to being gay; or the one about an adult coming
to terms with the imperfections of his parents. The political characters
are easily recognizable as Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney, and the
author’s bias is plainly Liberal. All in all, a pretty good read.