At the end of 2012, a New York Times Book Review cover story asked the question: Has Fiction Lost Its Faith? It went on to say that Christian belief in literary fiction is something between a dead language and a hangover. That may be an exaggeration but there have been no successors to writers like Flannery O'Connor, Reynolds Price and John Updike.
But the reviewer in this article never mentioned David Athey. He is an associate professor of English at Palm Beach Atlantic University and the author of two novels, Danny Gospel and Christopher. Neither have found a large readership but are both highly readable and entertaining stories with Christian themes.
Christopher is set in northern Minnesota, on the icy shores of Lake Superior, especially the landscapes of Duluth. The writing by Athey is dreamy and profound, with short and concise chapters. The book has been called a modern love story and spiritual quest. It's a book that should have a larger following and restore the critics faith in Christian literature.
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