A Prayer For Orion

“I'd read the phone book if Katherine James wrote it. A Prayer for Orion is one of the best books I've read in a long, long time. . . . having read this book, I am more certain there is a light that darkness cannot overcome. A Prayer for Orion tells a terrifying tale, but tells it with such precision, elegance, and honesty, that it left me hopeful and unafraid." (Christie Purifoy, author of Roots and Sky and Placemaker)

“Katherine James's story in A Prayer for Orion . . . reveals the universal cry in the hearts of countless . . .” (Brian "Head" Welch, cofounder of the Grammy Award–winning band Korn, author of With My Eyes Wide Open)

“Baldly, bravely, beautifully told,  . . . James understands from her son's story of addiction, to know God is not to be spared the grief of this broken world. It is, however, to watch hope―as small and inconspicuous as Elijah's cloud―grow heavier with rain. Inviting us to surrender every what if? for the settled peace of even if . . ." (Jen Pollock Michel, author of Surprised by Paradox)

“A Prayer for Orion is one of the most important books of our time. With heartbreaking honesty and wide-eyed clarity, James offers us an intimate view of the opioid crisis. Her vulnerability, compassion, and sagacious insight . . . invite us to lean in and love." (Dorothy Littell Greco, writer and author of Making Marriage Beautiful)

“I wept, I held my breath, I turned the page―." (Judy Douglass, director, Cru women's resources, author of When You Love a Prodigal)

"With absolutely piercing prose, Katherine James shows us not only how to write but she also gently, vulnerably shows us how to pray, to trust, and to love . . . I ate it up in two days! A Prayer for Orion is about . . . the relentless love of God. Read it, let it move around your heart and propel you to love your people, your place, and your own Lost Boys." (Ashley Hales, author of Finding Holy in the Suburbs and host of the Finding Holy podcast)

"Every chapter left me eager for more. Spiritual, yet far from preachy, James creates a powerful combination of raw authenticity with hope-filled truth." (Dena Yohe, author of You Are Not Alone and cofounder of Hope for Hurting Parents)

“James's incisive prose unflinchingly cuts to the core and reveals an incandescent, searing, heartbreaking-yet-tender story that will touch lives. This book tells the truth, and in doing so it allows others to both hope and heal." (Alia Joy, author of Glorious Weakness: Discovering God in All We Lack)

"A Prayer for Orion is more than the story of Sweetboy's battle with heroin addiction. Katherine James gives us a rare and raw glimpse of the way addiction traumatizes . . . Yet vulnerably shares how there is One who is wiser, more powerful, and persevering.  A Prayer for Orion is a must-read for those of us who are addicts or know one . . .” (Sheila Wise Rowe, author of Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience, counselor and founder of The Rehoboth House)

“A poetic and cool narrative; a true perspective of a true experience." (Alexander Beh, author and filmmaker)

In this sensitive, vulnerable memoir, award-winning novelist James turns her lush prose to a new purpose: to tell her family's story through the twists and turns of her son's addiction, overdose, and slow recovery. The result is not just a look at the phenomenon of drug abuse in suburban America, but also a meditation on the particular anguish of loving a wayward child and clinging to a desperate trust in God's providence through it all.

Can You See Anything Now?

Unsentimental yet filled with grace, Can You See Anything Now? is a story for readers who prefer reality to sanitized fiction. The novel follows a year in the small town of Trinity where the characters are complex and intriguing; There is Margie; an artist who has been teaching her evangelical neighbor, Etta, how to paint nudes; Margie’s husband, the town therapist, and their college-aged daughter Noel—whose roommate, Pixie, joins them at home for a winter holiday, only to fall into Trinity’s freezing river. Can You See Anything Now? shows how the tragedy and humility of a few reveal the reality of people’s motivations and desires.

“Can You See Anything Now? marks the debut of an exciting new literary talent. I hear echoes of Elizabeth Strout and Richard Russo in Katherine James’s richly detailed world, in her empathy, quiet humor, and hope. Richard Foster has said that writing is spiritual if it ‘drill[s] down into the subterranean chambers of the human soul.’ James manages this improbable task as she explores the lives of an intergenerational cast—including the irresistible Margie—drifting between the small-town foibles of Trinity and urban particularities of Manhattan. May her characters, insights, and often-striking prose find the wide audience they deserve.” —Daniel Bowman, associate professor of English, Taylor University

“…Carefully chosen details create scenes that are tangible in their realism. Literary and pop-culture references alike stimulate and potentially broaden the intellect. Brimming with both acuity and grace, Can You See Anything Now? is a welcome challenge to the dogmatic conventions of modern Christian fiction.” —Foreword Reviews

“If I were sit on the judgment panel for the National Book Awards in fiction, I would insist that Katherine James’s first novel—Can You See Anything Now? (Paraclete; 2017)—be placed in consideration. I would promote it because I think it is simply amazing and that it demonstrates a literary proficiency rarely if ever found in a debut novel . . . and it is a world of fascination.” —John-Julian, OJN

“JAMES’S DEBUT NOVEL illustrates the gradual changes that human connection can bring to a messy world.” - Publishers Weekly