THE PATRON SAINT OF LIARS
St. Elizabeth's, a home for unwed mothers in Habit, Kentucky, usually harbors its residents for only a little while. Not so Rose Clinton, a beautiful, mysterious woman who comes to the home pregnant but not unwed, and stays. She plans to give up her child, thinking she cannot be the mother it needs. But when Cecilia is born, Rose makes a place for herself and her daughter amid St. Elizabeth's extended family of nuns and an ever-changing collection of pregnant teenage girls. Rose's past won't be kept away, though, even by St. Elizabeth's; she cannot remain untouched by what she has left behind, even as she cannot change who she has become in the leaving.
The Patron Saint of Liars is the best-selling debut novel that launched Ann Patchett's remarkable career, and its genesis is the subject of her now-famous treatise on writing, "The Getaway Car," included in her 2013 essay collection This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage.
“She’s growing up,” Sister Evangeline said. And I wanted to tell her no, I’m not. Everything is exactly the same.”