Fiery Rivers

Fiery Rivers is the coming-of-age story of Devon, a ten-year-old boy who lives with his Pentecostal parents in Ohio in the sixties. As he matures, he becomes increasingly aware of what is being said in the church services he attends. A sermon about one particular sin sticks in his mind. He is undisturbed by it, however, until one fateful day when he commits the sin, engendering a lifelong struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder. While he attempts to disentangle himself from the disorder, he is saved in his father’s church, speaks in tongues, and lays his hands on and prays for the sick, all before the age of twelve.

He becomes aware of sex, courtesy of two older cousins and an adult, which further complicates his life. As he combats his obsessive-compulsive disorder alongside his frustrating approach-avoidance relationship with girls, he is unaware that others around him are also fighting their own battles with religion and sexual desires.

Intriguing, unexpected scenes of magical realism enliven the narrative.