{"product_id":"the-sacrament-9780062899880","title":"The Sacrament","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe haunting, vivid story of a nun whose past returns to her in unexpected ways, all while investigating a mysterious death and a series of harrowing abuse claims\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA young nun is sent by the Vatican to investigate allegations of misconduct at a Catholic school in Iceland. During her time there, on a gray winter's day, a young student at the school watches the school's headmaster, Father August Franz, fall to his death from the church tower.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo decades later, the child--now a grown man, haunted by the past--calls the nun back to the scene of the crime. Seeking peace and calm in her twilight years at a convent in France, she has no choice to make a trip to Iceland again, a trip that brings her former visit, as well as her years as a young woman in Paris, powerfully and sometimes painfully to life. In Paris, she met an Icelandic girl who she has not seen since, but whose acquaintance changed her life, a relationship she relives all while reckoning with the mystery of August Franz's death and the abuses of power that may have brought it on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Sacrament\u003c\/em\u003e, critically acclaimed novelist Olaf Olafsson looks deeply at the complexity of our past lives and selves; the faulty nature of memory; and the indelible mark left by the joys and traumas of youth. Affecting and beautifully observed, \u003cem\u003eThe Sacrament \u003c\/em\u003eis both propulsively told and poignantly written--tinged with the tragedy of life's regrets but also moved by the possibilities of redemption, a new work from a novelist who consistently surprises and challenges.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOlafsson, Olaf:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOlaf Olafsson \u003c\/strong\u003ewas born in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1962. He studied physics as a Wien scholar at Brandeis University. He is the author of six previous novels, \u003cem\u003eThe Journey Home\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e Absolution\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e Walking into the Night\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e Restoration\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOne Station Away\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Sacrament\u003c\/em\u003e, and a story collection, \u003cem\u003eValentines\u003c\/em\u003e. He spends his time in New York City, Sag Harbor, and Reykjavik.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50478175912210,"sku":"9780062899880","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4bdd7b35-5b99-48c6-8651-2693bf3145df.jpg?v=1730287361","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-sacrament-9780062899880","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}