The grace of guilt

By Gareth Young

Subjects: Sexual harassment of women, Lynching, Hate crimes, Murder, Social isolation, Fiction, Church controversies, Teenage pregnancy, Rape, Race relations

Description: When fifteen-year-old Jessica Jackson's crush on her pastor's son leads to rape, she finds herself pregnant and rejected by her family and church. When Simon Cassell's homosexual relationship is discovered, he is beaten by his father and ostracized by the community. Middle-aged Dwight Cook is struggling with the failure of his business, estrangement from his family, and uncontrollable lust for a female employee. Jessica, Simon, and Dwight's struggles intensify when a lynching brings the FBI to their rural North Carolina town and both church and family members are implicated.