A Town Called Immaculate [Paperback]

Peter Anthony (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

Still traumatized by his time in Vietnam, Ray’s world has shrunk—to the boundaries of his small hometown of Immaculate, and the warmth of his adored family: his young sons Jacob and Ethan, and his wife Renee—the woman who waited for him during his wartime hell. But as the snow accumulates, so do the townspeople’s stories, and the suspicions Ray has harbored for years start to resurface, along with his demons. As midnight approaches, and young Jacob vanishes into the deadly storm, Ray realizes that some generosity has been motivated by something more than neighborly kindness. Snow, it seems, can bury everything but the past; hour by hour, as Christmas Day approaches, Ray Marak begins to lose control. This haunting novel explores family and fidelity, and the fragility of the things we take for granted.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Jan Karon's Mitford novels will best appreciate Anthony's debut, a religious soap opera set one eventful Christmas Eve in the town of Immaculate, Minn. Farmer Ray Marak, a Vietnam vet wounded both in body and spirit, has built a family with his librarian wife, Renee, who years earlier left college in order to care for Ray as well as her widowed father. Given their debts, Renee fears this Christmas will be the last they spend on the farm. Meanwhile, bank manager Josh Werther, who once had a thing for Renee, can't resist the flirtatious advances of a much younger female teller. Aware that a huge snowstorm is bearing down on the community, Father Dimer warns his flock not to venture out on dangerous roads to attend midnight Mass. A series of contrived coincidences, which lead to a dramatic and violent confrontation, may invoke groans from those unable to buy into the author's themes of trial and redemption. (Mar.)
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Review

Review from the Financial Times:

With its terse emotions, rural dysfunction and sharply comic moments, this suspenseful debut shares midwestern ambiance and territory with the Coen brothers' Fargo. An array of strong characters gives a bright, nervy edge to Anthony's fresh prose.

Review from Doodled Books Review

Anthony is utterly convincing with his unassuming manner and Immaculate is quietly riveting.  It is a novel born to make one think.
Whilst on the surface, the plot may appear all too familiar - what is not, is the character of the men involved and the comedic timing of Hank... and all in time for Christmas!

Review from the South Wales Argus

Josh Werther is the first to offer help to find the missing boy Jacob Marak, but it soon becomes evident that Josh's interest goes further then just 'being neighbourly'.

I found this novel a very gripping debut with the odd comedy moment that anyone from a small town will appreciate.

Review from The Guardian: Observer, 11/30/2008

It's Christmas Eve and while the inhabitants batten down the hatches against a blizzard, they...brace themselves for a storm of secrets also waiting to rage. The hero, Ray Marak, has plenty of clandestine troubles, not least impending bankruptcy...but his wife Renee has awkward secrets of her own. 

Review from the Financial Times:

Taciturn Vietnam vet Ray Marak struggles to keep his dairy farm solvent in Immaculate, Minnesota, a devoutly Catholic town whose men are "too much in love with liquor, cows, or both". 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan UK (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0230700632
• ISBN-13: 978-0230700635
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,389,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Welcome to the Peter Anthony page!

My first novel, 'A Town Called Immaculate', was published in 2007 by Macmillan New Writing. Since then I've gone to the new world of Indie publishing. My second and third novels are 'Drill & Sanctimony', a military comedy, and 'Accelerating Returns', a technothriller. I'm at work on other novels and short stories. I have some exciting things in the works, all of which I hope to share through my website www.peteranthonybooks.com and through Amazon Author Central. For anyone interested in reviewing early works, or sending likes and dislikes, please contact me if you want to say anything other than spam ("Want to buy cheap Levitra?").


As for my life outside of writing, I live in Minnesota. I've worked as a sports writer for All Headline News (which was really more like re-writing sports stories) and as a magazine contributor for AskMen.com. I prefer to spend my time writing fiction. As for other jobs I've held, I grew up on a farm and did various farm jobs. After that, I worked as a mechanic, a warehouse laborer, a system operator, a homeless shelter resident advocate, a software engineer, a systems analyst, and a support engineer.

If you would like to contact me, please use my contact page, or email me directly at peteranthonybooks (-at-) gmail (-dot-) com. Please check out the excerpts, reviews, and short stories on my website.

www.peteranthonybooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully crafted novel, June 30, 2009

By 

Emily S. Johnston - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Town Called Immaculate (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this well crafted novel. The characters and storyline were so well woven and realistic, I felt as though I had visited Immaculate and personally knew the characters. The tension that built throughout the story kept me reading late into the night and I wasnt disappointed by the final resounding climax. I look forward to reading more from this excellent author.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Town Called AWESOME!, April 30, 2008

By 

Chris Eide (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Town Called Immaculate (Hardcover)

Peter Anthony has a gift for painting vivid scenes in the reader's mind, capturing the essence of each setting beautifully. Characters, be they raucous to stoic, are thoroughly developed through a mix of narrative and clever (often hilarious) dialogue as each recounts stories past and present. Anthony knows his characters inside-out, and it shows. Lastly, in addition to all the playful banter the rural Minnesota setting has to offer, the dramatic conclusion will have readers unable to set the book down.

This was a great read, and I would highly recommend it.