Debut Novel Explores Atheist’s Unlikely Journey Toward Priesthood
February 2, 2025 | For Immediate Release
Canadian author offers nuanced response to New Atheism
In his thought-provoking debut Broken Water (Chicken House Press), Port Moody author Nick Perry presents a distinctly Canadian perspective on faith and doubt, offering a measured alternative to the confrontational tone of the New Atheist movement.
Set in contemporary British Columbia, Broken Water follows Declan Murphy, a young atheist from a devout Catholic family, who makes the unexpected decision to pursue priesthood. Through Declan's journey, Perry explores the space between absolute belief and unbelief, crafting a narrative that prioritizes understanding over ideological certainty.
Where the New Atheist movement often demanded decisive answers, Perry's novel embraces the complexity of questions. In a podcast interview with his publisher, Perry said he likes to think his book offers a more Canadian response to an incredibly American movement… “of just saying I'm not going to be so hard, quick, and fast about any of these pieces… It's going to take me a little while longer to wander about through the spaces of what these things might mean." His protagonist's story unfolds against the backdrop of Canada's unique religious landscape, where French-Catholic heritage meets modern secular thought, and where family bonds must stretch to accommodate diverging beliefs.
The novel's British Columbia setting provides a fitting backdrop for this exploration, reflecting Canada's characteristic ability to hold multiple truths in tension. Through the Murphy family's story, Perry examines how families navigate religious heritage in an age of unbelief, offering a refreshing alternative to more combative approaches to faith and doubt.
Hailed by Blank Spaces magazine as “a secular prayer that aims to reconcile doubt and faith,” Perry’s prose is gracefully intellectual, presenting ideas that will settle deeply within the reader, encouraging careful reflection and, inevitably, a re-evaluation of one’s own understanding of the universe and its mysteries.
Broken Water will be available through major online retailers and local bookstores starting February 2, 2025.
For media inquiries or to request a review copy, please contact Alanna Rusnak at Chicken House Press.
ISBN trade paperback edition: 978-1-990336-83-6
About the Author: Nick Perry is a teacher and writer from Port Moody, B.C., whose work has appeared in publications from Canada to Iceland. Drawing from his understanding of Canada's cultural complexities, Perry brings a unique voice to contemporary discussions about faith, doubt, and the search for meaning.
