Holy Days

Goodwin’s prose is sharp and descriptive, invoking vivid word pictures…a strong undercurrent of tension and horror. -Kirkus Reviews Holy Days is about the sexual, psychological seduction of Gloria Wisher. Spanning 20 years, Gloria’s story begins with her life as an innocent 3-year-old in a sensual and loving extended family of Italian-American grandparents in East Boston. When she is 8 years old, her father and mother move away from this Italian-American enclave to Revere, where her life degenerates into a twisted mix of perverse pleasures and traditional values. Gloria is never safe, even in her own bed. In a dangerous urban environment, Gloria must struggle to find the meaning of womanhood, despite her domineering father and the mother who turns a blind eye to reality. Together, family and neighborhood conspire to force Gloria to cling like a captive to her abusers. Desperately searching for help, Gloria discovers real friendship with another troubled young girl who lives nearby. For the first time, Gloria receives the genuine love and inspiration she needs to break free of the family and community that threaten her life. Left with only one path to salvation, Gloria commits a sensational murder that catapults her beyond the role of survivor to feminist icon. Fearlessly told in Goodwin’s lush, bold style, Holy Days is perhaps the first novel to explore the love and compassion that survival too frequently demands. As Gloria said, They tried to kill me in this place of love and horror. They tried to kill me, but they couldn’t because I loved too much.