The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys: A Novel

Set in Savannah, Georgia, in the early 1970s, this novel follows Francis Doyle, Tim Sullivan, and three close friends—altar boys at Blessed Heart Catholic Church and eighth-grade classmates at the parish school. The boys are known for pranks, artistic pursuits, and disregard for adult authority. When their collaborative comic book, Sodom vs. Gomorrah '74, which depicts the church's nuns and priests breaking the seventh commandment, is discovered by the principal, the boys fear their parents will learn of it. They devise an elaborate diversion to deflect attention from the incident. The narrative weaves together scenes of school routines and the experiences of male adolescence—including first kisses and first hangovers—alongside the boys' preparations for their stunt.