The Gospel of Winter Revew

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TITLE: The Gospel of Winter

AUTHOR: Brendan Kiely

PUBLISHER: Margaret K. McElderry Books

PUBLICATION DATE: 1/21/2014

PAGES: 304

MY RATING:

INSIDE COVER SUMMARY: As sixteen-year-old Aidan Donovan's fractured family disintegrates around him, he searches for solace in a few bumps of Adderall, his father's wet bar, and the attentions of his local priest, Father Greg--the only adult who actually listens to him.

When Christmas hits, Aidan's world collapses in a crisis of trust when he recognizes the darkness of Father Greg's affections. He turns to a crew of new friends to help make sense of his life: Josie, the girl he just might love; Sophie, who's a little wild; and Mark, the charismatic swim team captain whose own secret agonies converge with Aidan's.

The Gospel of Winter maps the ways love can be used as a weapon against the innocent--but can also, in the right hands, restore hope and even faith. Brendan Kiely's unflinching and courageous debut novel exposes the damage from the secrets we keep and proves that in truth, there is power. And real love.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This book is more about the aftereffects rather than the incidents themselves. I think most people don't image all the ways someone can be affected by something like this and just how extensive the damage can be, even for someone's future. I'm having a hard time getting my thoughts down about this book because the subject matter is just so heartbreaking. This isn't a happy book, so be prepared if you choose to read it.

CHARACTERS: I feel disconnect from the characters. I don't know anything about anybody so that makes it hard to get into the story because I don't have strong feelings towards any of the characters.

COVER: I am obsessed with the cover. The actual hard cover of the book has a silhouette of a teenage boy on it. The dust jacket has bright red words on it and a pretty gray design that looks like a stained glass window, but it is all printed on vellum so when the dust jacket is on the book, you can see the silhouette through it.

**I received a finished copy of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.