Catherine and her eight-year-old son, Tommy, live in a modest apartment in Austin, Texas. She’d moved there several years before to lessen the rigid conservative influence that her mother, Dorothy, exerted over Tommy. Her mother, a devout Catholic who lives in San Antonio, Texas (Catherine’s birthplace), holds rigid, inflexible, and judgmental views. She believes she should be vigilant against evil, condemning anyone who might disagree with her beliefs. Catherine, an agnostic, admits that she, too, is unwavering regarding her beliefs but would never attempt to impose her beliefs on others, not even her son. Tommy views life unencumbered by their beliefs. He sees the living, the dead, and other supernatural creatures quickly. His unusually bright persona draws little interest from the darker elements of the paranormal world.
What sets this family apart is their extraordinary connection to the supernatural. Dorothy’s prayers reach the souls in Purgatory, Tommy engages in regular conversations with a ghost named Thomas, and Catherine resorts to artificial methods to avoid seeing ghosts. In their world, encountering spirits is not a rarity, but a part of their everyday life.
In this book, the author delves into the lives of a family who perceive the ghostly realm from three distinct angles: The grandmother, who’s only aware of the souls in Purgatory, trapped in eternal suffering as they cleanse their tainted lives; Catherine’s son, who sees life through the lens of superheroes and encounters a variety of supernatural creatures; and Catherine herself, who resorts to medication and alcohol to shield herself from the ghostly world. However, as in life, Catherine may discover that suppressing one’s natural abilities is a temporary solution, especially when the darkness begins to ‘notice’ her vulnerabilities.
Do ghosts exist? Absolutely. Does Purgatory exist? To some, it does. Does evil exist? The answer to that question and more can be found in the pages of Purging Purgatory.
- Paper: 278 pages
- Publisher: Romen Graphics
- Publish Date: October 2016
- ISBN-13: 978-1938962189 (paperback)
- Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.65 in.