Lydia Gordon, author
The Humanist Novel You've Been Waiting For
from Wells Street Press
“Exciting, thought-provoking, and, at times, heartbreaking,The Fundamentals is a novel you won’t want to put down.” — TheHumanist.com
Read the review here.
WHAT IN CREATION IS HAPPENING IN ECSTASY?
Unemployed architect and single mother Alexa Moss unexpectedly inherits a crumbling farmhouse in the town of Ecstasy, Illinois. Her science-prodigy daughter Lucy fiercely resents the move. But when Lucy’s fact-based education is threatened by a creationist lawsuit, the introverted Alexa must steel herself and run for the school board, arousing the wrath of the charismatic megachurch pastor, Cyrus Bell.
Unknown to Alexa, while she braves the public fallout from her secular views, her daughter Lucy is enticed into joining the megachurch by a handsome new boyfriend. At the same time, Rachel Whitman, the pastor’s niece, strives to save her epileptic sister from her faith-healing family.
As the three women struggle in the church’s shadow, a national crisis unfolds and compels the citizens of Ecstasy to re-examine the choices they’ve made in the name of religious freedom.
The Fundamentals is an engaging read perfect for book group discussions.
“Atmospheric, gripping, The Fundamentals is as compelling as it is important—a truly remarkable debut.” –E.C. Diskin, best-selling author of Broken Grace
“An antidote to the anger of a divided world. Intelligent and thought-provoking.” –Julia Buckley, best-selling author of the Writer’s Apprentice mysteries
“Gordon relates this story . . . on engagingly human levels. By the time Alexa finds herself lined up against the powerful Bell, readers will directly feel the stakes involved in the conflict.” –Kirkus Reviews
“An eye-opening novel that deserves a place in any library’s contemporary fiction collection.” –Midwest Book Review
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Lydia Gordon is the pen name of a writer and award-winning poet living in the Midwest. She holds an MFA in writing and literature, and her work has appeared in numerous publications. She is a former college instructor, and the founder and president of her local humanist group.