It's been three years since Micah's spouse, Cat, passed away at the age of thirty-six. In the process of cleaning his house, Micah discovers a series of letters Cat hid before he died, in which he made one request: that Micah empty his life of Cat as a way of moving on. Micah has been able to work through his sorrow, but he's unable to fulfill Cat's last wish. He can't see a way past his loneliness despite all the caring people around him.
Enter two new friendships. Jude, Micah's vivacious new coworker, brings joy back into his life. But she has a big secret about her family, and the truth will rock Micah's understanding of who she is. Chris, the new minister at Cat's former church, intrigues Micah. Unlike Jude, Chris is an open book, from his musings on theology to his work as a trans advocate and activist. His gentle manner and deep faith become safe space for Micah to open up about his loss.
Through them, Micah becomes involved with the town's new community center, where he offers a creative writing class. Using Cat's detailed letters, he fictionalizes their love story to share with his students. In doing so, he at last begins to sort through his complicated grief. Micah learns he doesn't have to erase his life with Cat in order to make new memories. He may even be falling for Chris, despite their vastly different spiritual views. With a little help from family and friends, Micah will need to open his heart to love completely again.
Author. Editor. Spouse, parent, queer, feminist, reader, and writer falling somewhere on the Geek-Nerd Spectrum. Agnostic Christian offering commentary on faith, culture, and writing. Read more: http://amleibowitz.com/about-me/
There was a time when I could have said, quite honestly, that I wouldn’t willingly go into a book knowing it was about loss and grief. As as child, I read because I wanted to; as an adolescent, I read because I had to; as a young(ish) adult, I read for escape. After all, it’s during this period of our lives, for most of us, we take on greater responsibilities and realise: however much we don’t want to do some things, we no longer have the luxury of choice. It’s also around this time that most of us experience our first major bereavement—grandparents or other older relatives, maybe parents. More rarely, our spouses or children.
For me, it was my gran’s death when I was twenty-five. My youngest daughter was four months old, and I had returned to education—something of which my gran did not approve, in spite of (or perhaps because of) missing out on the same opportunity herself. I remember going into college the day after she died (a Monday), and the day after, and so on until the end of the week. It was only on the Friday that I felt in control enough to tell one of my tutors what had happened.
A few months later, we were revising for exams, and the tutor asked us to open our notes on some topic or other that I didn’t recall having studied. I opened my folder and thumbed through the reams of notes (I’m longwinded in all aspects of writing), and there—to my astonishment—were my notes on the topic. A quick check of the date confirmed it was what we’d studied the week my gran died; while my body had gone through the motions, my brain had disconnected.
We all experience grief uniquely, and in a way, those experiences inoculate us—not in the sense that we become immune to future suffering (our own or others’), but we’re better equipped to cope with it. Reading stories about grief—if realistically portrayed, as is the case with A.M. Leibowitz’s Keeping the Faith—can also serve that purpose. More than that, a novel is a safe space within which we can explore our emotions vicariously through the characters’ grief, as well as consider our response to others going through loss and grief. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, and reading about those different experiences has the potential to enhance both our understanding and empathy.
I realise this doesn’t read much like a review. It’s when I get caught up in reflecting on the characters’ lives, wondering how they’re doing now, replaying moments—happy, sad, funny, magical—and how those relate to my own life that I know I’ve loved a novel, or, in this case a series. I felt an affinity for Micah from the very first moment I ‘met’ him in Passing on Faith (book one). When I was reading Keeping the Faith, if I could, I’d have written to him to remind him how strong he was to permit himself to love Cat—not because of Cat’s health, but because of his own mental health. It would’ve been far easier to walk away and continue ‘flatlining’, but he took a chance once; I’d reassure him he can do it again.
When I reviewed Passing on Faith, I said I felt like Micah, Cat and their family and friends were real people, ‘somewhere out there’. Two novels and a short story collection later, they are so real…I’ve grieved for Cat, too, and I guess I’m grieving for the series. I’m caught in the denial phase (this is where I shamelessly nudge, nay, shove and nag the author) where I can’t believe it’s over. I always wanted to know more about Jeremiah, and others, but I have a soft spot for Jeremiah. And the community centre seems like a really great place filled with lots of interesting people. And…and… [C’mon, Cat, help me out here.]
Keeping the Faith is a beautiful, fitting [grumbles] end to the Faithfully Yours series, and while it is about loss and grief, we leave Micah in a hopeful place. He’ll make it, I’m sure.
While you could, in principle, read Keeping the Faith without reading the previous stories, I fully recommend starting from the beginning:
Ok so, I'm an idiot. Lol. I had NO idea this was a part of a series. Which is my fault. I'm weird. I'm a cover person. The cover of a book grabs me. Most often I dont read the blurbs, because I don't want to go into a book with preconceived notions. Sometimes i do. Just depends. This one I read a bit of the blurb but the cover just grabbed me and I didn't know it was a part of a series until the author’s note at the end. I encourage you guys to read those first. This book can be read as a standalone. The author did a great job of including past things so you know what's going on. However, you will get more detail of things and in this book there is a mention of some things the spouse didn't speak of before he died. Bringing me to my next point. This book is about loss. And severe grief. There is a warning in the forward of the book. Please read that in all the books. I do not know what the trigger warnings are for those, although I have some idea because I went and looked them up after reading this one. For this one, there is talk of suicide, of conversion therapy. It does NOT go into detail, but if even the mention of the word triggers you, please take care of yourself. If not, I encourage you to read this. There is also a lot of talk of religion in these books. Obviously by the titles. There are a few instances of cruelty as far as religion as the main character grew up in a family of ministers who were cruel about being gay. It's not real bad but again, have a care. That being said, religion takes on a different form in this one. I'm not sure of the other books, but this one is a struggle with dealing with religion as a whole because of his past and because the main character’s new friend is a pastor. However, said pastor is a trans man. So as you can see, it's different. I have to hand it to the author as well because almost every letter of the rainbow was used in this book alone. The main character is bi, his spouse was genderfluid, some of his nieces and nephews are lesbian or gay. His own mother was bi and having an affair with a woman, who is a close friend of the MC. The MC’s new friend is a trans pastor and the list goes on. I love that so many were included in this story. As I said, this story deal with grief and loss. Micah has lost his spouse Cat to hemophilia. It's a blood disorder. Even though it's been 3 years, he can't seem to move on. He's cleaned out most of Cat’s stuff from the house they share and out of the room Cat had used toward the end. But certain things he has had a hard time getting rid of. Just thinking he can, he comes across something else that makes him grieve all over again. He’s been trying to write another book but can't seem to get going. His SIL encourages him to do something with the new community center and he starts a creative writing course. He also has a new friend in the form of an actual cat. (Personally, I'd like to think it's his Cat keeping an eye on him. Especially with the way the acts often.) He names him Thomas and Thomas leads him to discover some letters his Cat left for him. He doesn't think he can handle reading them or looking in the box he left for him, but he knows he has to. As he works through each letter, he discovers a book is in his head. He shares bits and pieces with his class and in the process is discovering he is purging himself of grief. He will always love Cat. Some days will be excruciatingly hard, but he knows he needs to let go and have Cat let go of him. It's a journey. Through grief, fear, anger and so much more. Through hopes and fears, pasts and futures. It deals with brokenness, mental issues, and things that can't even be discussed. And through all of this, it deals with family, friends, and moving forward. I've often heard people say, family isn't always blood but what you make it. And it's something Micah has to discover, even through Cat’s letters. I absolutely loved this book. I need to go back myself and read the others to get the full background. I encourage you to give this and the others a chance. Don't do it if it has any impact on you mental health or physical even. But if it doesn't, give it a try.
Yes, a yellow tabby. But that’s not a spoiler, just a hint, and enough to launch me into this review. Once again, A.M. Leibowitz made me break one of my fiction-reader rules… no crying. *sniffles and reaches for another tissue* What a way to wrap up a series I have unexpectedly grown to adore.
WHAT I LIKED: That darned cat and his oh-so-timely appearances. Okay, that and the way Leibowitz masterfully spun the past, present, and hopes for the future together without losing me. I knew what was happening every step of the way, even when it made me blubber like a sentimental fool.
WHAT I LOVED: The interconnected themes: 1) Family. Family is what you make it, especially to the LGBTQIA community, and Leibowitz shows this in a beautifully accepting manner. There’s the family we’re all born into as well, but even most of it’s beautiful in Keeping the Faith, or at least trying to understand, with a few, glaring exceptions. 2) Healing. Healing means more than the mere physical. The spirit is in there somewhere too, which leads me to the third distinctive theme I found in Keeping the Faith— 3) Faith. Faith means more than opening a religious text. Faith means… well, read. Okay? I promised no spoilers, and I mean it.
CONCERNS: The only factor I think someone open to LGBTQIA fiction might object to is the deep Christian faith involved in this novel, and, indeed, the entire Faithfully Yours series. Some might be put off by it, but knowing it’s there, and that it’s laid out in such a heart-warming manner will help readers understand that they’re not being preached at. If anything, Leibowitz is showing how simply and joyously faith can be included within the LGBTQIA community, no matter what that faith path might be. I say this as a non-Christian, but, honestly, I had no complaints about the faith expressed in the Faithfully Yours series whatsoever.
ONE NOTE ON CONTENT: There is some mild erotic content in this novel, but I, as someone who doesn’t like erotica, wasn’t put off. The scenes were brief, non-gratuitous, and delicately written. I had no problem with them whatsoever. Leibowitz also gives content warnings about grief, loss, character death, funerals, spiritual trauma, LGBTQIA antagonism, abusive family members, and non-detailed, past suicide attempts. I had no problems, but that doesn’t mean another reader wouldn’t find these issues to be trigger points. Forewarned, is forearmed.
Keeping the Faith is time well spent. It will not disappoint, and will certainly leave your soul warmed and your outlook hopeful.
This story is about healing and finally letting yourself move on. It’s Micah’s journey of learning how it’s possible for him to keep Cat, his deceased spouse, in his heart, but still have room to let a future lover in. This story was gut wrenching to read. I didn’t read the previous books in the series, and in some ways I’m glad. Had I known Cat better, this story would have torn me up even more than it already did. Even writing this review I have tears in my eyes and clogging my throat at the thought of losing him. I can’t imagine how someone who has read Micah and Cat’s story must feel reading this story.
So while I’m glad I didn’t read the story in that respect, I’m not sure how well this book reads as a standalone. There were too many characters whose backstories I’m assuming were told in detail in the other books in the series, that were featured in this story, as well. But they were brought in with such a familiarity, that it’s assumed the reader will know who they are, so at times I found myself completely lost as to who people were and what their relationship to Micah and/or Cat was.
As for the story itself, except for the above mentioned, it’s well-written, but the back and forth between the past and present throughout the entire story disrupted the flow. In fact, when I got to one of the last flashbacks I actually growled in frustration. I wanted so badly for the author to finally stay in the present and move forward. It was beyond frustrating at times.
While the story gives closure to Micah’s story and what seems to be a happy ending for him and Chris, I find there are secondary characters that I’m left wondering about, especially Jones and Alonzo, whose little bit of story I learned about, left me in tears and a bit heartbroken. If you can’t tell by my review I spent a lot of time crying while reading this story, even the author’s note was sad.
All in all, this was an emotional and heartbreaking, yet hopeful and healing story. Recommendable!
*copy provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*
'Keeping the Faith' is the first book in the series I have read, my enjoyment of the story was not affected by not having read the earlier books but I think I might have enjoyed it more if I knew the back story better. I was also my first book written by AM Leibowitz, I enjoyed the writing style, as I was introduced to each character I felt I knew them already.
This is the story of Micah, a widowed school teacher, still coming to terms with the lose of his husband 3 years earlier. The story follows his path towards acceptance of the lose of Cat and setting new life directions for himself. It is emotional, as you would expect a story dealing with loss and grief to be. With support from family, friends and a stray cat named Thomas, Micah finds a way to finally move through his grief.
Reviewed for Amo's Book Corner.
I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this story of grief and remembered and new love. Micah, Chris, and Cat are all well-formed interesting characters, though my favorite was Chris. I loved his patience and how he understands what Micah was going through and let him work out his grief of Cat before moving on. Cat seemed very idealized making me want to read the other books in the series. I'm curious how much of Cat's flawlessness is truth or Micah's grief. Also, lots of genderqueer folk in this which was refreshing.
Can I make it through writing a review without tears of a book that I don't think I went a chapter without crying through at least part of. I suppose we'll see.
I loved both Micah and Cat in the first book, Passing on Faith. And getting to see more of Cat's story in Walking By Faith. Then, there were the short stories in Leaps of Faith, the last of these leaving me sobbing. Yeah, I'm that emotional of a reader. So, I knew this one would be rough...on my emotions.
I have a weird relationship with grief. I draw into myself when something bad happens. I don't react really. But, when I see someone else grieving, it pulls all the emotions out of me. Even if that someone is a fictional character in a book.
And so much of this felt true. Those moments that something small hits you hard and makes you remember, no matter how long the person has been gone. My father-in-law died 11 years ago, and I still have some of those moments. My best friend died over 20 years ago, and there are still times something makes me think of her.
This book broke my heart apart, several times. And mended it again, only to rip it up once more. But, in the end, it left me feeling hopeful.