“A beautifully written, lyrical narrative with nuanced characters and a highly credible story line.  Ezra is continually torn between the desire for order and discipline, and his desire for freedom, abandonment, and sensual pursuits. It was this deeper layer of the novel that made this book sing for me.  I shall follow this gifted young writer’s career with interest and look forward to his next novel.”  
                             -David Lentz, author of Bloomsday: The Bostoniad and 
                               For the Beauty of the Earth.  Member of the Royal Society
                               of Literature and the Academy of American Poets.

“A bold and ambitious first novel. On the whole a beautifully controlled, absorbing and rewarding read.”
                                         -Gregory Heath, author of Thoughts of Maria

“It’s been several days since I finished this amazing book and I’m still at a loss for words to describe it. I will say that this book touched and haunted me in a way I haven’t felt in a very long time -or perhaps ever. Amazing.
                                         -Eve Floriste, author of Fresh Cut

“A modern classic. The narrative flows with ideas: philosophy, mythological imagery, religious icons...”
                                         -Sylvia Valevicius, Goodreads and Amazon reviewer

“Chuck Crabbe has written an unforgettable coming of age story.”
                                         -J.B. Dinizo, author of Up From Down and Out
Ezra Mignon’s mother died just a few years after his father abandoned him. Raised by his three aunts in Ontario, Canada, he seeks refuge in fantasy, solitude, and strange rituals. 

Ezra struggles to find his place among his peers, but as he matures he is drawn further into his conflicted, disturbing, and often beautiful vision of the world. When his family moves to a small town, Ezra’s conflict with the moral system and religion he is surrounded by intensifies. A charismatic new friend soon leads him into a world of crime and dangerous taboos. The Christian God, as well as his father, haunts Ezra as he wrestles with the temptations of this dark new path. Is the dreamy image of his mother somehow leading him toward liberation, or is this spectre the symptom of an impending psychiatric breakdown? 

Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall. Only an act of shameful impiety offers Ezra Mignon escape and eventual salvation.