Brother Stephen dies. That’s when things get complicated. Is Stephen’s death his wake-up call? That’s one theory. Soon he is behind the wheel of a Prius, listening to himself being interviewed on NPR. His afterlife feels a lot like high school, he tells Terry, and she asks about those lawsuits filed by students who claimed to have been molested by pedophile Brothers. As an administrator of his Roman Catholic religious order, he was caught in the middle of all these heartbreaking cases. In fact, the lawsuit he was dealing with the moment he died strikes close to home. He once knew the plaintiff, knew her very well. Brother Stephen is a determined sort, and spends his afterlife solving a terrible mystery or two or three about the survivor, about the accused, and about himself. 

About Joseph Di Prisco

Joseph Di Prisco published poems, essays, and reviews in numerous journals, and two books of poetry: Wits End (University of Missouri Press) and Poems in Which, which won the Dorothy Brunsman Prize (Bear Star Press). He was awarded The Young Poets and The Theodore Roethke Prizes from Poetry Northwest. He taught for over twenty years, and is the coauthor of Field Guide to the American Teenager, published by Perseus Books. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, photographer Patricia James, and their three supportive dogs.