A-Tumblin’ Down: A Novel

The year is 1988, and the Abney family is settled in at Mt. Moriah Lutheran Church in rural Shibboleth, New York.

Their life is not without its challenges. Pastor Donald is haunted by the probing, judging memory of his revivalist grandfather. His wife Carmichael struggles to feel at home, a task not made any easier by her parents’ inconvenient revelation of family secrets. Eleven-year-old Kitty is equally averse to growing up and to insufferable classmate Megan. At least little Saul and Asher, born within a year of each other, are content as they explore the meadow on the steep hillside surrounding church and parsonage.

Then tragedy strikes, shattering family and faith. A faction in the congregation exploits the disaster, threatening to rob the Abneys of what little is left of their impoverished life.

A-Tumblin’ Down topples headlong into grief and explores the strong grace needed to survive. Yet the story is not only sad and serious; it’s also funny, joyful, and enchanted. Even a tragic world abounds in wonders beyond belief, as the Abney family comes to see by the novel’s triumphant and satisfying, but not simplistic, ending.

For super-fans only: check out the Palimpsest Guide to A-Tumblin’ Down, full of details about the origins and writing process of this book, plus details and explanations not included in the novel itself, and explorations of its deeper themes.

And for hungry readers in particular: download the Mt. Moriah Lutheran Church Cookbook for twelve desserts from characters in the novel, not only delicious but also windows into character…!