Our Lady of the Forest - David Guterson

Ann Holmes seems an unlikely candidate for revelation. A sixteen-year-old runaway, she is an itinerant mushroom picker who lives in a tent. Her past has been hardscrabble. Then one November afternoon, in the foggy woods of North Fork, Washington, the Virgin comes to her, clear as day. Is this a delusion, a product of her occasional drug use, or a true calling to God? It is up to the new priest, Father Collins, to evaluate the veracity of Ann`s sightings: delusion, a product of her occasional drug use, or a true calling to God? Gradually word spreads and thousands converge upon the already troubled town. For Tom Cross, an embittered logger who`s been out of work since his son was paralyzed in a terrible accident, the possibility that Ann`s visions are real offers a last chance for him and his son. Our Lady of the Forest combines suspense, grit and humour in a story of faith at a contemporary crisis.