Overview

""Alena Dillon is one of my favorite writers and to read her journey through pregnancy is a great joy and heartbreak."" - Amy Schumer My Body Is A Big Fat Temple, a memoir of pregnancy and early motherhood, follows a writer as she debates having children, miscarries, faces morning sickness, uncertainty, physical impairments, labor, breastfeeding, the ""baby blues,"" the heartache of not loving her son as she thinks she should, parenting through a plague, until finally (basically, mostly) blossoming into her new identity. The undertaking of creating life is airbrushed to preserve the ideal of motherhood, and exacerbated by a culture that dictates what women can do and how they should feel. We don't get the full story, so mothers withunromantic experiencesfeel like aberrations, and worse, alone. This is why the voices of women matter. The voices ofmothersmatter. Here's one to remind you of the important things.

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9781949116878

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Reviews

A life-altering debut featuring fierce, funny, and irreverent women who battle the most powerful institution in the world. This is the book we've all been waiting for. Amy Schumer Never underestimate the power of a group of women. Fierce, thoughtful, and dramatic--this is a story of true courage. Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author In Mercy House , Alena Dillon gives us one of fiction's more unlikely lovable heroines: elderly, dynamic Sister Evelyn, whose taleand that of her housematesis as unexpected as it is moving. This is a thoughtful, accomplished debut. Therese Ann Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z, A Well-Behaved Woman , and A Good Neighborhood [A] stirring, fiery debut...Dillon balances her protagonist's righteous anger with an earnest exploration of Evie's faith and devotion to justice and community service. This uncompromising story will light up book clubs. Publishers Weekly ...Dillon's debut novel is heartwarming to its core. With a widely diverse cast of supporting characters, author Dillon brings Bed-Stuy to life. Realistic in scope and pious without being preachy, Mercy House will appeal to fans of Naomi Ragen's The Devil in Jerusalem (2015) and Autumn J. Bright's Lovely (2017). Booklist Dillon's debut novel is heartwarming and easy to read, it never glosses over the history of abuse and sexism in the Catholic church...Those interested in religious fiction will also appreciate a simple narrative tackling complex church events. Perfect for reading groups. Library Journal For fans of Ann Patchett's The Patron Saint of Liars or Maile Meloy's Liars and Saint s, Mercy House is a must-read. San Francisco Book Review

A life-altering debut featuring fierce, funny, and irreverent women who battle the most powerful institution in the world. This is the book we've all been waiting for. Amy Schumer Never underestimate the power of a group of women. Fierce, thoughtful, and dramatic--this is a story of true courage. Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author In Mercy House , Alena Dillon gives us one of fiction's more unlikely lovable heroines: elderly, dynamic Sister Evelyn, whose taleand that of her housematesis as unexpected as it is moving. This is a thoughtful, accomplished debut. Therese Ann Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z, A Well-Behaved Woman , and A Good Neighborhood [A] stirring, fiery debut...Dillon balances her protagonist's righteous anger with an earnest exploration of Evie's faith and devotion to justice and community service. This uncompromising story will light up book clubs. Publishers Weekly ...Dillon's debut novel is heartwarming to its core. With a widely diverse cast of supporting characters, author Dillon brings Bed-Stuy to life. Realistic in scope and pious without being preachy, Mercy House will appeal to fans of Naomi Ragen's The Devil in Jerusalem (2015) and Autumn J. Bright's Lovely (2017). Booklist Dillon's debut novel is heartwarming and easy to read, it never glosses over the history of abuse and sexism in the Catholic church...Those interested in religious fiction will also appreciate a simple narrative tackling complex church events. Perfect for reading groups. Library Journal For fans of Ann Patchett's The Patron Saint of Liars or Maile Meloy's Liars and Saint s, Mercy House is a must-read. San Francisco Book Review Alena Dillon is the real gritty deal, and she leaves no agony or indignity unexamined. Plus, she's funny, reassuring, tender, and also furious--in other words, the perfect combo pizza for hungry new mothers. Catherine Newman, author of Waiting for Birdy and Catastrophic Happiness Alena Dillon is one of my favorite writers and to read her journey through pregnancy is a great joy and heartbreak. - Amy Schumer

""A life-altering debut featuring fierce, funny, and irreverent women who battle the most powerful institution in the world. This is the book we've all been waiting for."" Amy Schumer ""Never underestimate the power of a group of women. Fierce, thoughtful, and dramatic--this is a story of true courage."" Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author ""In Mercy House , Alena Dillon gives us one of fiction's more unlikely lovable heroines: elderly, dynamic Sister Evelyn, whose taleand that of her housematesis as unexpected as it is moving. This is a thoughtful, accomplished debut."" Therese Ann Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z, A Well-Behaved Woman , and A Good Neighborhood ""[A] stirring, fiery debut...Dillon balances her protagonist's righteous anger with an earnest exploration of Evie's faith and devotion to justice and community service. This uncompromising story will light up book clubs."" Publishers Weekly ""...Dillon's debut novel is heartwarming to its core. With a widely diverse cast of supporting characters, author Dillon brings Bed-Stuy to life. Realistic in scope and pious without being preachy, Mercy House will appeal to fans of Naomi Ragen's The Devil in Jerusalem (2015) and Autumn J. Bright's Lovely (2017)."" Booklist ""Dillon's debut novel is heartwarming and easy to read, it never glosses over the history of abuse and sexism in the Catholic church...Those interested in religious fiction will also appreciate a simple narrative tackling complex church events. Perfect for reading groups."" Library Journal ""For fans of Ann Patchett's The Patron Saint of Liars or Maile Meloy's Liars and Saint s, Mercy House is a must-read."" San Francisco Book Review ""Alena Dillon is the real gritty deal, and she leaves no agony or indignity unexamined. Plus, she's funny, reassuring, tender, and also furious--in other words, the perfect combo pizza for hungry new mothers."" Catherine Newman, author of Waiting for Birdy and Catastrophic Happiness ""Alena Dillon is one of my favorite writers and to read her journey through pregnancy is a great joy and heartbreak."" - Amy Schumer

Author Information

Alena Dillon is the author of Mercy House, a Library Journal Best Book of 2020, which has been optioned for a CBS television series produced by Amy Schumer, and The Happiest Girl in the World. Her essays have appeared in publications including The Rumpus, Slice Magazine, LitHub, Bustle, and River Teeth. She teaches creative writing at St. Joseph's College and lives on the north shore of Boston with her husband, son, and dog.

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