A spellbinding confession of what it means to abandon one life for another, The Devoted bristles with psychological and erotic tension.
"She comes early, wet with rain, and confronts him in the back hall of the Zendo. 'I need to know some things, ' she says. 'You better come in, ' he says, and holds open the door ..."
Nicole Hennessy's life revolves around her Zen practice at the Boston Zendo, seeking spiritual solace in the tenets of Buddhism. After a decade of grueling spiritual practice under her master's tutelage, living on a shoestring as a shop clerk, Nicole has become sexually and emotionally entangled with her mentor. To break free, she must retrace her entire life's journey--from her strict Irish Catholic upbringing to her drug-fueled year as a teenage runaway. Even as she reinvents herself in New York City, her master's intoxicating voice pursues her, whispering dangerously in her ear. Somehow, he knows everything.
A hypnotic and daring debut, The Devoted asks what it takes, and what you'll sacrifice, to find enlightenment.
About the Author :
Blair Hurley is a Pushcart Prize winner whose work has appeared in West Branch and Mid-American Review, among other publications. A native of Boston, she now lives in Toronto, where she teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto.
Xe Sands has more than a decade of experience bringing stories to life through narration, performance, and visual art, including recordings of the Nightwalkers series from Jaquelyn Frank. She has received several honors, including AudioFile Earphones Awards and a coveted Audie Award, and she was named Favorite Debut Romance Narrator of 2011 in the Romance Audiobooks poll.
Review :
"The Devoted is a beautifully written story of the seductions of faith, its many desperations both light and dark. A most absorbing and psychologically astute novel that announces Blair Hurley as a brave new talent."
-- "Chang-rae Lee, author of The Surrendered"
"A sharp-eyed account of the psychological and sexual hold a spiritual 'master' can get on a lost young woman...A spectacular debut!"
-- "Edmund White, award-winning author of A Boy's Own Story"
"A suspenseful and warmly engaging coming-of-age story."
-- "Joyce Carol Oates"
"A thoughtful exploration of faith, surrender, and ecstasy."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"A thrilling, deep, fun, intense look at sex and faith, at East and West, and fraud and truth, at love and what it means to lose love. A remarkable debut, and more: a great read."
-- "Darin Strauss, award-winning author of Half a Life"
"Blair Hurley is a gorgeous writer. This novel brims with startling and organic metaphors that fuel, like Zen koans, the heart of a remarkable story."
-- "Anita Shreve, New York Times bestselling author"
"Blair Hurley's first novel is a sharp-eyed account of the psychological and sexual hold a spiritual 'master' can get on a lost young woman. What could have seemed like a fable in other hands, in Hurley's is mordant and convincing. A spectacular debut!"
-- "Edmund White, author of Our Young Man"
"Hurley's outstanding first novel tells an engrossing tale about a young woman seeking a spirituality that can only be found within herself...All lovers of great fiction with complex characters as well as anyone fascinated by narratives about religious cults will want this insightful story."
-- "Library Journal (starred review)"
"Quietly chilling...This thoughtful novel carefully untangles the often knotty interconnection between romantic and religious love, revealing the dangers inherent in each without denying their value."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
