Kathryn Lively skillfully spins a contemporary tale of riveting pro-life fiction. The interconnecting lives in a town where each life touches so many others has an intricate plot line involving murder, teen pregnancy, Catholic families, abortion protests, lonely hearts, scarred souls, dinners at the café and prayer, especially rosaries.
It is not an “happily ever after” tale, but it is a drama of human existence. When confronted with evil, the protagonists are able to overcome adversity by reaching into the very depth of their souls to discover a deeper understanding of life’s sacredness. The story reveals how sin changes lives but also illustrates that God’s mercy is greater than sin.
The story opens as abortionist Neil Masterson rationalizes his occupation:
He was not a monster, Neil often assured his sister-in-law. He had never held a gun to the heads of the various women, troubled and confident, seeking the aid of his practice. The choice was ultimately theirs; he was only the doctor in the clinic offering the service.
Carrie’s Aunt Barbara was probably going to be there, in Richmond, thought Neil, hunkered down in front of the picture window at the maternity ward, cooing at the babies and shaking her d— rosary like a rattle. Just as well he stay in Williamsburg, he thought. He didn’t need any of Barbara’s disapproving stares today.
He nicked his chin with the last pull of the razor blade, and a small spot of blood surfaced and mingled with the last traces of shaving cream on his face. Neil cursed silently as he ran a damp washcloth over his face. If that were the only blood he saw today, he would consider his shift a good one.
Neil Masterson is a fallen-away Catholic and his rosary reciting aunt-in-law drives him crazy. His wife, Carrie, has numbed her conscience in an effort to raise their two sons in a bubble sealed away from any knowledge of their father’s true occupation. Chris and Laura Merwin are fighting an uphill battle to keep their kids on the right path and are unaware they’ve been losing ground with their two eldest, Monica and CJ. Therese is very concerned for her siblings and prays for them as she approaches her Confirmation. (St. Therese certainly receives a substantial amount of business from this teenager) Pre Winningham and Larry Jeffries both harbor secrets. Larry’s brother, Roy, has an off beat mission rooted in deep psychological pain; anger over the loss of his wife and child to abortionist Neil Masterson’s knife has blinded his soul. Detective Mark Skinner attempts to make sense out of murder and mayhem while protecting human life. Barbara Fitzgerald (Rosie) is a witness to the power of a simple string of rosary beads.
The tumults of teen life, pangs of conscience and confusion and the often painful trials of growing up lend a strong sense of reality to Lively’s fiction. Nina storms angrily out of the clinic, only to realize moments later, how God works in our everyday lives.
Places like Café Liseux may not exist in an increasingly secular culture, but the larger concept that people’s lives are changed through God’s mercy and by others’ good deeds and prayers, especially those of little old rosary ladies, is something to be thankful for.
Within the context of the story the forces of contemporary culture are strong but not insurmountable. Some of the characters develop a further understanding of what is means to be pro-life when life grows more challenging through events such as death or unplanned pregnancy. Naturally, not every character develops this way; neither Neil Masterson nor Roy Jeffries is able to break free of the past.
All in all, Little Flowers is a wonderful read that, once begun, is difficult to put down.
Mary Walsh writes from Fredericksburg, Virginia.
(This article originally appeared in the National Catholic Register.)
