Told from the viewpoint of four unforgettable characters, this is the story of an ordinary girl, thought to be a modern-day Holy Virgin.

Francesca Dunn is an adolescent like any other, trying to figure out her place in the world. One night Chester a homeless man, “sees” Francesca hovering over the river, bathed in celestial light. Days later, as Francesca serves meals to the needy, Chester falls to his knees before her in adoration. Word spreads, hordes of followers converge, and the result is a catastrophic storm of fervent belief and doubt, the relentless and perpetual desire for salvation, possible miracles, and an adolescent trapped by events far beyond her control.

Narrating by turns are four disparate characters who tell the story as they see it: Chester, who smells fear, disease, and holiness and appoints himself Francesca’s protector; Ann Dunn, Francesca’s paleobotanist mother, who places her faith in Darwin and natural selection; Sid, the schoolmate, who wants to use Francesca’s new circumstances for her own profit; and Francesca herself, who becomes increasingly deluded by the adoration bestowed upon her.

At once powerful, tender, and humorous, The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn brings an unforgettable cast of characters to vibrant life as it brilliantly explores the seductive and destructive power of belief.

Kristin Kilian