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The Rovaniemis and their nine children belong to a deeply traditional church (no drinking, no dancing, no TV) in modern-day Michigan. A normal family in many ways, the Rovaniemis struggle with sibling rivalry, parental expectations, and forming their own unique identities in such a large family. But when two of the children venture from the faith, the family fragments and a haunting question emerges: Do we believe for ourselves, or for each other?
Each chapter is told from the distinctive point of view of a different Rovaniemi, drawing a nuanced, kaleidoscopic portrait of this unconventional family. The children who reject the church learn that freedom comes at the almost unbearable price of their close family ties, and those who stay struggle daily with the challenges of resisting the temptations of modern culture. With precision and potent detail, We Sinners follows each character on their journey of doubt, self-knowledge, acceptance, and, ultimately, survival.
"Pylväinen, who grew up in the same fundamentalist faith as her characters, doesn't judge their choices in this remarkably sensitive family portrayal, a powerful and unforgettable debut that manages to balance successfully its multiple perspectives." - Library Journal
"A promising debut, and a glimpse at a hidden American subculture that few readers will suspect even exists." - Kirkus Reviews
"Pylväinen treats both parts of the conversation with understanding in simple prose that does not take sides. The story is not so much about religion itself, but about how it unites, separates, and directs each relationship in this family's life." - Publishers Weekly
"A subtly rendered and powerfully empathetic portrait of a contemporary fundamentalist Christian family by a deeply gifted young writer, Hanna Pylväinen's We Sinners is not only beautiful and heartbreaking, it is important - for what it says about faith, family, and for the humane light it sheds on the cultural fissures that affect every American. This is a book that reminds the reader, on every page, of the uniquely illuminating power of fiction." - Meghan O'Rourke, author of The Long Goodbye
"Swift, absorbing, plainspoken, sincere. This book is an account of an excruciating dilemma: what to do with the family faith if you don't believe it anymore? We Sinners spares no one, least of all the skeptics who have broken from the church and its austerities only to find themselves 'freed from nothing,' confessing in a parking lot, 'I don’t know how to live,' and watching the people still inside the fold with undisguised admiration and love. An elegant and penetrating book." - Salvatore Scibona, author of The End
"In a debut collection of dazzling economy, precision, and reach, Hanna Pylväinen explores a familiar yet unfamiliar world - a distinct culture of amazing power - from the points of view of ten different family members with immense sensitivity to her characters, and a surprisingly light, deft touch." - Jaimy Gordon, author of National Book Award Winner Lord of Misrule
This information about We Sinners was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Hanna Pylväinen graduated from Mount Holyoke College and received her MFA from the University of Michigan, where she was also a postgraduate Zell Fellow. She is the recipient of a MacDowell Colony residency and a fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She is from suburban Detroit. Learn more online at www.hannapylvainen.com.
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