We Sinners - Softcover

"A subtly rendered and powerfully empathetic portrait of a contemporary fundamentalist Christian family by a deeply gifted young writer, Hanna Pylvainen's "We Sinners" is not only beautiful and heartbreaking, it is important--for what it says about faith, family, and for the humane light it sheds on the cultural fissures that affect every American. This is a book that reminds the reader, on every page, of the uniquely illuminating power of fiction."--Meghan O'Rourke, author of "The Long Goodbye"

"Swift, absorbing, plainspoken, sincere. This book is an account of an excruciating dilemma: what to do with the family faith if you don't believe it anymore? "We Sinners" spares no one, least of all the skeptics who have broken from the church and its austerities only to find themselves "freed from nothing," confessing in a parking lot, "I don't know how to live," and watching the people still inside the fold with undisguised admiration and love. An elegant and penetrating book."--Salvatore Scibona, author of "The End"

"In a debut collection of dazzling economy, precision, and reach, Hanna Pylvainen explores a familiar yet unfamiliar world--a distinct culture of amazing power--from the points of view of ten different family members with immense sensitivity to her characters, and a surprisingly light, deft touch."--Jaimy Gordon, author of National Book Award Winner "Lord of Misrule"

"Pylvainen draws us close to the characters in her little-known denomination, and then, just as their lives become poignantly familiar, her austerely beautiful prose tilts the everyday towards a quiet profundity. These are stories of a faith, to be sure, but also of faith more broadly--faith in family, in community, in ourselves--and of the challenges that beset it. The book itself is a testament to yet another faith: in the abiding power of fiction to illuminate our lives. We Sinners is one of the most distinctive debuts in years, and marks the arrival of a talent to cherish."--Peter Ho

"[A] spare, quietly devastating novel." --"The Boston Globe ""In some ways, the Rovaniemi family is like ordinary American families, with sibling rivalries, birth order issues and parental expectations. But the questions about faith--how it binds the family together but also mutates and divides it--elevate it beyond the confines of the traditional domestic novel and into a resonant and magical work of imagination."--"The Chicago Tribune ""A beautiful, understated novel. [Pylvainen] tells a sophisticated, precise story about the nature and need for rebellion, set off against our need to belong. "We Sinners" hums with rare respect for religious outsiders." --"Cleveland Plain Dealer ""In "We Sinners," Pylvainen deftly explores this dance between oppression and liberation, between belief and unbelief, and shows the gray areas. These are not polarities but gradations of human experience. We all move in and out of various communities and belief systems, searching for love and acceptance. Often we search for forgiveness. This novel shows that sometimes it's found in strange places." --"The Wichita Eagle ""Characters who could be painted in grand strokes as villains or angels are small, fragile, and very human. "We Sinners "brilliantly, unforgettably reconfigures Tolstoy's adage about happy and unhappy families: 'happy and unhappy, every family is.'" --"Publishers Weekly, "Galley Talk

"A subtly rendered and powerfully empathetic portrait of a contemporary fundamentalist Christian family by a deeply gifted young writer, Hanna Pylvainen's "We Sinners" is not only beautiful and heartbreaking, it is important--for what it says about faith, family, and for the humane light it sheds on the cultural fissures that affect every American. This is a book that reminds the reader, on every page, of the uniquely illuminating power of fiction."--Meghan O'Rourke, author of "The Long Goodbye"

"Swift, absorbing, plainspoken, sincere. This book is an account of an excruciating dilemma: wh

"We Sinners is remarkably funny for a book about a deeply religious family grappling with loss of faith....It's impossible not to like these characters, so beautifully drawn, and so very loving to one another."--"Los Angeles Times
""A nuanced portrait of an unnuanced world."--"The New York Times
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"In some ways, the Rovaniemi family is like ordinary American families, with sibling rivalries, birth-order issues and parental expectations. But the questions about faith--how it binds the family together but also mutates and divides it--elevate it beyond the confines of the traditional domestic novel."--"Chicago Tribune "

"A spare, quietly devastating novel."--"The Boston Globe ""Captivating...The beauty of "We Sinners" lies in its extraordinary ordinariness."--"Washington Independent Review of Books
""Hanna Pylvainen's "We Sinners" is not only beautiful and heartbreaking, it is important--for what it says about faith, family, and for the humane light it sheds on the cultural fissures that affect every American. This is a book that reminds the reader, on every page, of the uniquely illuminating power of fiction."--Meghan O'Rourke, author of "The Long Goodbye
""A beautiful, understated novel. [Pylvainen] tells a sophisticated, precise story about the nature and need for rebellion, set off against our need to belong. "We Sinners" hums with rare respect for religious outsiders."--"Cleveland Plain Dealer

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"In "We Sinners," Pylvainen deftly explores this dance between oppression and liberation, between belief and unbelief, and shows the gray areas. These are not polarities but gradations of human experience. We all move in and out of various communities and belief systems, searching for love and acceptance. Often we search for forgiveness. This novel shows that sometimes it's found in strange places."--"The Wichita Eagle

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"Characters who could be painted in grand strokes as villains or angels are small, fragile, and very human. "We Sinners "brilliantly, unforgettably reconfigures Tolstoy's adage about happy and unhappy families: 'happy and unhappy, every family is.'"--"Publishers Weekly, "Galley Talk

We Sinners is remarkably funny for a book about a deeply religious family grappling with loss of faith....It's impossible not to like these characters, so beautifully drawn, and so very loving to one another. "Los Angeles Times"

A nuanced portrait of an unnuanced world. "The New York Times"

In some ways, the Rovaniemi family is like ordinary American families, with sibling rivalries, birth-order issues and parental expectations. But the questions about faith--how it binds the family together but also mutates and divides it--elevate it beyond the confines of the traditional domestic novel. "Chicago Tribune"

A spare, quietly devastating novel. "The Boston Globe"

Captivating...The beauty of "We Sinners" lies in its extraordinary ordinariness. "Washington Independent Review of Books"

Hanna Pylvainen's "We Sinners" is not only beautiful and heartbreaking, it is important--for what it says about faith, family, and for the humane light it sheds on the cultural fissures that affect every American. This is a book that reminds the reader, on every page, of the uniquely illuminating power of fiction. "Meghan O'Rourke, author of The Long Goodbye"

A beautiful, understated novel. [Pylvainen] tells a sophisticated, precise story about the nature and need for rebellion, set off against our need to belong. "We Sinners" hums with rare respect for religious outsiders. "Cleveland Plain Dealer"

In "We Sinners," Pylvainen deftly explores this dance between oppression and liberation, between belief and unbelief, and shows the gray areas. These are not polarities but gradations of human experience. We all move in and out of various communities and belief systems, searching for love and acceptance. Often we search for forgiveness. This novel shows that sometimes it's found in strange places. "The Wichita Eagle"

Characters who could be painted in grand strokes as villains or angels are small, fragile, and very human. "We Sinners "brilliantly, unforgettably reconfigures Tolstoy's adage about happy and unhappy families: happy and unhappy, every family is.' "Publishers Weekly, Galley Talk""

"We Sinners is remarkably funny for a book about a deeply religious family grappling with loss of faith....It's impossible not to like these characters, so beautifully drawn, and so very loving to one another." --Los Angeles Times

"A nuanced portrait of an unnuanced world." --The New York Times

"In some ways, the Rovaniemi family is like ordinary American families, with sibling rivalries, birth-order issues and parental expectations. But the questions about faith--how it binds the family together but also mutates and divides it--elevate it beyond the confines of the traditional domestic novel." --Chicago Tribune

"A spare, quietly devastating novel." --The Boston Globe

"Captivating...The beauty of We Sinners lies in its extraordinary ordinariness." --Washington Independent Review of Books

"Hanna Pylvainen's We Sinners is not only beautiful and heartbreaking, it is important--for what it says about faith, family, and for the humane light it sheds on the cultural fissures that affect every American. This is a book that reminds the reader, on every page, of the uniquely illuminating power of fiction." --Meghan O'Rourke, author of The Long Goodbye

"A beautiful, understated novel. [Pylvainen] tells a sophisticated, precise story about the nature and need for rebellion, set off against our need to belong. We Sinners hums with rare respect for religious outsiders." --Cleveland Plain Dealer

"In We Sinners, Pylvainen deftly explores this dance between oppression and liberation, between belief and unbelief, and shows the gray areas. These are not polarities but gradations of human experience. We all move in and out of various communities and belief systems, searching for love and acceptance. Often we search for forgiveness. This novel shows that sometimes it's found in strange places." --The Wichita Eagle

"Characters who could be painted in grand strokes as villains or angels are small, fragile, and very human. We Sinners brilliantly, unforgettably reconfigures Tolstoy's adage about happy and unhappy families: 'happy and unhappy, every family is.'" --Publishers Weekly, Galley Talk

This stunning debut novel—drawn from the author's own life experience—tells the moving story of a family of eleven in the American Midwest, bound together and torn apart by their faith

“A resonant and magical work of imagination.”—Chicago Tribune

Winner of the Whiting Writers’ Award

In this stunning, highly acclaimed debut novel, Hanna Pylväinen's We Sinners introduces us to an unforgettable family, bound together and torn apart by their intense religious devotion. Despite the ways all eleven of the Rovaniemis have built their lives around the conservative religion’s rigid guidelines—music, television, makeup, and even school dances are strictly prohibited—their eventual places in the wider world and their paths to get there could not be more different, or more painful to each other. The children who reject the church learn that freedom comes at an almost unbearable cost, and those who stay struggle daily with the temptations of modern culture. Wholly absorbing and unflinching in its emotional honesty, We Sinners shows us how far we will go for faith and for each other, and the consequences when love—or God—is not enough.