James Mulhern

Molly Bonamici James Mulhern

Molly, a senior in high school, accompanies her grandmother and a sad alcoholic neighbor to a faith healer in a seedy section of downtown Boston. Molly is told by Lady Jane, the faith healer, that she is an Angel of Death, and will be surrounded by tragedy most of her life. Some of those deaths will be gruesome and violent. Within a short time, it seems the faith healer's prediction has come true. Not a person disposed to believing in the paranormal, psychic abilities, or even religion, Molly goes on a quest to live an authentic life and learn everything that she can about what is really true. She moves away from her provincial Catholic neighborhood to explore the world. Pondering questions about the meaning of life and faith itself, she meets quirky, colorful people, laughing and sometimes crying during her experiences. At the age of forty-one, Molly discovers that there are more mysteries and twists in our lives than we can ever imagine. She is shocked by the knowledge that she gains, as well as startled by the events and surprises along the way. Kirkus Reviews wrote the following about the protagonist of this novel: "While she may have a cold exterior, her distinctiveness is an appealing quality and often amusing. Molly, for example, discussing a dead body, tells a store clerk: 'Maggots are a good source of protein.... Do you sell word processors?' A gleefully and wonderfully odd protagonist eases readers into a bare-bones plot."--Kirkus Reviews