The Unspeakable: A Novel

by Charles L. Calia

The Unspeakable tells the story of two men, both priests, whose strange and divergent paths collide. Peter Whitmore, an administrator for the Diocese of St. Paul, is asked to investigate and ultimately discredit a priest who, it is rumored, possesses a remarkable power -- the power to heal. The priest in question, Jim Marbury, is no stranger to Whitmore. He is an old friend, a seminary roommate, and a spiritual mentor whom Whitmore has not seen in more than twenty years. But much has changed. Always somewhat unconventional, Marbury is now mute, speaking only in sign language, his voice reportedly stolen by God on a trip that he took through western Pennsylvania. On that same journey, in a snowstorm that nobody can verify, Marbury encountered a terrible car accident and a family who changed his life irrevocably. Marbury gets drawn into a world he did not expect -- a world where the past repeats itself, where the mystical is not in a book but alive and breathing. And now Whitmore, his old friend, has to decide for himself which events are really the hand of God and which are the delusions of Marbury gone mad. "Suspenseful... The characters, especially Whitmore, are originally vivid..." -- Publishers Weekly.

Genres: Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 17, 1997

Reviews

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unspeakable for its theme of the delicate balance between faith and physical affliction reminds me a great deal of Lying Awake by Mark Salzman. Here it is the story of two priests both examining their own faith after a set of extraordinary circumstances bring their faith and calling into question.

Peter Whitmore is sent to investigate his friend and colleague, Jim Marbury when stories of miraculous healing filter back to the Diocese of St. Paul. At the heart of these miracles, is a missing period of time in Jim Marbury's life when he failed to show up at a conference and was later found walking in the cold, miles away from his car and suddenly mute.

Most of the novel is a series of conversations between Whitmore and Marbury, about the time of the accident, their time in the seminary, Whitmore's childhood and current events at Marbury's church. There is enough wiggle room in the story to interpret the novel any number of ways. Marbury may have been giving the ability to heal at the price of his voice or he's faking both or somewhere in between.

My one complaint is the unnecessary time spent with Whitmore's background. As a narrator he is only interesting as a friend of the much quirkier priest. It's unnecessary for him to have his own traumatic past just to make his connection stronger with Marbury. I found Whitmore's flashbacks an unwelcome distraction from an otherwise interesting novel.

[Rebekkila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Whitmore, and administrator for the archdioces of St. Paul, is asked to investigate and ultimately discredit a priest who, it is rumored, possesses a remarkable power-the power to heal. Moreover, the priest in question, Jim Marbury, is not a stranger to Whitmore. He is an old friend from seminary and a spiritual mentor whom Whitmore hasn't seen in more than twenty years.But much has changed. Marbury is now mute, speaking only in sign language, his voice reportedly stolen by God on a trip through western Pennsylvania. On that same journey, in a supposed snowstorm that nobody could verify later, Marbury encountered a terrible car accident and a family that irrevocably changed his life.Drawn into a place he had never imagined, Marbury finds a world where the past repeats itself, only this time with different results. And now Whitmore, his old friend, must decide for himself which events are the manipulations of the hand of God and which are the delusions of a priest who has descended into madness.

[Kymm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two priests, friends since seminary, one traditional and now working as an administrator in the diocese, the other shrouded in controversy because he's said to be able to heal others and working in a small church filled with those who can't hear. This is the premise behind The Unspeakable by Charles L. Calia. Peter Whitmore, an administrator at the diocese is asked by the Bishop to investigate the claims of Jim Marbury being able to heal others. Peter, who knows Marbury is assigned to investigate what's going on. Marbury who claims God has stolen his voice is now mute and unable to talk, but Peter is able to converse because he too knows sign language. The story revolves around a "miracle" Marbury claims happened in PA on his way to a seminar, however Whitmore, who's already skeptical of Marbury's claims, begins his investigation into the events and can't find any proof that Marbury's story is true.

The story is mainly dialogue between the two priests and goes back and forth between present day, days in the seminary as friends and the "miracle" that happened in PA. The story is extremely thought provoking and even though I don't consider myself religious in any way, I found I too was wondering "Can a mere mortal heal others in the name of God"? Marbury who is being threatened with a transfer to another church or even excommunication stands by his claims that there are those that can heal. Whitmore tries to break through his story and discover why he won't talk, even though Marbury says God stole his voice after the event in PA.

This one was more of a book of deep thought and wonderment for me. I found it extremely interesting and informative. Like I said I don't know much about organized religion, but did learn a few things while reading this one. I think the author did an excellent job of portraying each of these men as men of God, but also as mere mortal men with all the flaws and detriments that go along with that. It was a quick read for me, as I couldn't quit turning pages to find out what was going to happen next. Can other's heal in the name of God? Can we hold God responsible for bad things that happen to others? These are a couple of the questions I continued to ask myself while reading this book. I didn't come away with any real answers, but I thoroughly enjoyed every word of it. Again very thought provoking and a good book to delve into if you've ever wondered what are the rules when it comes to God. Something to really think about! Happy Reading!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgiveness. Healing. Faith. What they look like, what they cost. Calia takes on the Big Stuff of life in this book—his first, apparently, and I hope not his last. It’s not easy to do this without falling into easy answers, ponderousness, or stereotypes, but Calia manages it. His characters are memorable and unpredictable, with more than a little Flannery O’Connor in them. And the story completely avoids getting bogged down in preachiness. Where others might use a sledgehammer, Calia’s touch is light as snow.

The structure of the book is unusual and reminded me a bit of the film “My Dinner with André” in that it consists almost entirely of two men in discussion, telling stories that defy belief but keep your somewhat incredulous attention. I did get a little impatient with the start-and-stop approach to the stories, but I understood why the author used it to create suspense. In the end, the only part I just couldn’t buy into was the church hierarchy’s refusal to entertain the idea of the miraculous and its threats to remove a priest who might actually heal people. I think Calia was a bit heavy-handed there in a book that otherwise treated its subjects with a light touch. But that’s a small misstep in an otherwise remarkable book.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but I found the ending ambiguous. But I guess that is what faith and belief in a god is...full of ambiguities. I find it interesting that men and women of faith who have reached the higher ranks in their religion, often seem to view it as a business, and not quite to be believed. These men and women of faith and power are suspicious of anything unexplained...as if once reaching the halls of power, their faith and belief take a back seat to practicality.

This is the crux of this book I believe, a priest who has found his God and his God’s voice, while losing his own voice. Why is this? So he can hear God speak to him, his parishioners speak to him, even though they too are mute? So he can no longer voice his doubt and perhaps corrupt others? In this affliction (?) he is able to be faithful and awestruck.

His old friend is more in the business of debunking faith based actions, and miracles, as are his superiors. It’s as if, reaching higher ranks, they come to be more in the secular world, and less in the world of wonder and blind faith.

I am not religious, and not sure I believe, but I always am interested in books of this type, and I find myself rooting for the world of blind faith.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this another one of those books that is hard to write about and hard to review. I liked the way the author looks at life from differing angles, using the two priests as opposing points of view. The book moved pretty slow for the first 3/4s of the story and at times became confusing. When everything was said and done, I was left scratching my head a bit and wondering exactly what had happened. It felt unresolved with no concrete ending but maybe that was the author's purpose.

[Ned Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Perfect Just Almost

When a writer manages to capture and communicate the real feelings of complex people in challenging circumstances he has touched the edges of greatness. If Mr. Calia ever manages in another book it might be a miracle but I do wish him well and hope he does write another novel but I’ll be surprised if he does

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a well told story and I may want to read more from this author. The story of each character evolves slowly and is a compelling well told. The ending is a bit of a surprise and leaves you wondering a bit about what happens next.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good story. The writing is fabulous.

[Candy Greenway · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! I don’t even know where I heard about it, but I’m glad it found its way to me.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing debate between two priests about the gift of healing, this book investigates friendship as well as miracles. Dialogue is very real and enlightening.

[John Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Fr. Peter Whitmore, administrator of the Diocese of St. Paul, receives a report of a diocesan priest who is rumored to have a miraculous power to heal, the Bishop sends him to investigate and discredit the priest. Fr. Jim Marbury, the priest in question, is no stranger to Peter; the two of them were students together in seminary. Marbury is mute unable to speak since a trip through western Pennsylvania when he claims God took his voice, a disability that has no biological cause. Caught in a snow storm he encountered a terrible auto accident. Marbury has carried the guilt over an incident that occurred in his adolescence which resulted in a man's death and the imprisonment of his father. His interaction with the Penn. family during the days after when mother and daughter were in the hospital irrevocably changed his life. Peter still carries similar guilt over an incident which resulted in the death of his deaf sister. Will his encounter with Marbury help Peter forgive himself?

I found this character study somewhat difficult to follow since the reader was transported from the present to past events for both of the primary characters, sometimes within 1-2 pages. This novel is less about faith and miraculous healing and more about guilt and self-forgiveness. A good read but don't read this book with potential distractions.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plotting, character development, and pacing of this debut novel make up for the writing that could still use some editing, especially after p. 50. A priest has to investigate a friend from seminary who has lost his voice (although medical experts agree he should be able to speak) and is healing people at his Minnesota church, which has a special congregation of deaf, mute, and mentally challenged people. To complicate matters, $12,000 are missing from the nonprofit he used to lead. The story flips back and forth between the past and the present and illuminates these two priests and the circumstances that have shaped their lives.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two priests, friends long ago in seminary, meet again and face down old demons. Many stories weave in and out of this little book, each more compelling than the other, and each asking more questions than they answer. I was fascinated with this book, and though written a bit rough (I believe it is the authors first book) it was definitely different than anything else I have read in a long time.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was interesting to say the least