An impressive overview of a writer whose career is still climbing, Worship of the Common Heart allows us a rare opportunity to observe twenty years in the evolution of a writer of uncommon talent and heart. Emotionally complex, achingly real, these nineteen stories focus on the everyday, defining moments of life, celebrating the unsung and calling attention to the ignored. A young woman comes to an absolute and sad realization about her relationship the very moment she gives birth. A woman enamored of younger men stumbles upon joy in the most unlikely place. A young nun takes a vacation with her earthy, unpredictable sister and learns lessons in worship. Told with stunning confidence and honesty, the stories in Worship of the Common Heart revel in sensuality and the complexity of longings.

About Patricia Henley

Patricia Henley has published two collections of stories, Friday Night at the Silver Star and The Secret of Cartwheels. Carnegie-Mellon University Press published a book of her poems, Back Roads, in 1996. Her stories have been anthologized in Best American Short Stories and The Pushcart Prize Anthology. This is her first novel. She teaches in the MFA Creative Writing Program at Purdue University.