Lying Awake - Softcover

"A lean, seemingly effortless tour de force...a perfect little novel." --"The New Yorker ""Spare, luminous...Salzman makes this cloistered society not only believable, but also compelling." --"San Francisco Chronicle " "A singularly rich and abundant work.... [Salzman has an] ability to convey spiritual states with a lambent clarity." --"The New York Times Book Review ""A satisfying and evocative questioning of faith and art." --"The Oregonian" "Mark Salzman is...a poet, capturing in the pages of "Lying Awake," his shining novel about devotion and doubt, a mysticism that reaches back in time to an older tradition, yet dwells easily in the present." --"Los Angeles Times " "A gentle story.... Graceful, lucid and enjoyable." --"Newsday " "Elegant.... Salzman's depiction of Sister John's conflict, convent life and this society of devoted women is a marvelous accomplishment." --"The Seattle Times " ""Lying Awake "showcases an almost ethereal talent, one that can handle complex ideas with a touch lighter than air." --"New York Post"

In a Carmelite monastery on the outskirts of Los Angeles, life has continued virtually unchanged for centuries. Here, Sister John of the Cross lives in the service of God. She is the only nun who experiences visions and is regarded by the others as a spiritual master. But Sister John is also plagued by powerful headaches and when a doctor reveals that they may be dangerous, she faces a devastating choice. Is this grace merely an illness and will a 'cure' mean the end of her illuminations and a soul dry and searching?