Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Losing Faith
AUTHOR: Scotty Cade
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 10, 2016
BLURB:
Father Cullen Kiley, a gay Episcopal priest on hiatus from the church, decides to take his boat, T-Time, from Provincetown, Massachusetts, to Southport, North Carolina, a place that holds an abundance of bittersweet memories for him. While on a run his first day in Southport, Cullen comes upon a man sitting on a park bench staring out over the Cape Fear River with his Bible in hand. The man’s body language reeks of defeat and desperation, and unable to ignore his compassion for his fellow man, Cullen stops to offer a helping hand.
Southport Baptist Church’s Associate Pastor, Abel Weston, has a hard time managing his demons. When they get too overwhelming, he retreats to Southport’s Historic Riverwalk with his Bible in hand and stares out over the water, praying for help and guidance that never seem to come. But Abel soon discovers that help and guidance come in many forms.
An unexpected friendship develops between the two men, and as Cullen helps Abel begin to confront his doubts and fears, he comes face-to-face with his own reality, threatening both their futures.
REVIEW:
I thought the last book I read by Scotty Cade was great. So I have no words for how much I liked this one!
Cullen Kiley is a former Episcopal priest, who has lost his faith, and his basic trust in God after an event which occurred two years before the story begins. He is somewhere between an ex-priest and a priest on a hiatus from his post. It waivers from day to day in his mind.
Cullen has decided to take his boat (read yacht) from where he lives in P-town, and journey south to a place where he was truly happy. That place is Southport, North Carolina. A brief comment from the peanut gallery…when the author started describing a movie set of a movie that was filmed there when Cullen was there last, I was instantly, like, I’m sure I’ve seen that movie. And yes, I was correct. It was Safe Haven, the 2013 version, a romance type movie that I remember watching at some point. I really enjoyed how Mr. Cade tied that in, and made the town seem even more real (it is an actual place.)
But I digress. Back to the story. Cullen is in a bad place psychologically. He is still dealing with some personal grief and loss issues, and isn’t letting go, instead falling further and further into despondency. One day while out for a run in Southport, Cullen sees a man on a bench, who looks even more forlorn than Cullen. Cullen’s natural ministerial instincts click in and he stops to see if he can help the man.
Abel Weston is an Associate Pastor with the Southport Southern Baptist Church in town. He is dealing with his own internal demons, and when a man runs up and flops down on the bench next to him, he wonders what that is all about.
I loved the contrast and comparison between the two churches and their beliefs. The author did a great job at research and portrayed both religions very close to what I believe is reality. As the men become friends, and compare background stories, and eventually confess their individual pain, the story continues to build.
I really liked this one. I would recommend it to anyone who has experienced inner turmoil and pain, or to just about anyone who loves a well written book!
RATING: 
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