The Wanting Life

Rader’s tender, nuanced debut follows the life and loves of a dying priest and his compassion for a restless niece. After a long and outwardly successful career as a Catholic priest in Wisconsin, Paul Novak is facing terminal liver cancer. As his sister, Britta, take care of him, he searches for life’s meaning. Paul is gay, and as his health declines, he shares his doubts with Britta about the choices he’s made. He and Britta also discuss Britta’s daughter, Maura, who is about to leave her husband and two children for a man she believes is the love of her life. Britta, who always accepted her brother’s sexuality, becomes more aware of his inner discontent and tries to reassure him of the value in serving his community as a pastor while also poking fun at his “martyr complex.” Paul grows increasingly restless, and asks her to accompany him to Rome, cuing flashbacks to a brief affair he had there with an Italian man in the ’60s. While Rader draws a heavy-handed parallel between the unfulfilled Paul and Maura, readers will be touched by the portrait of Paul’s rich interior life. Fans of The Great Believers will appreciate this story of heartfelt empathy. (Feb.)