Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale

Cron (Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me) is an underrated author who has the good luck of having written a parable about the saint whose name was recently taken by Francis I, the new pope. Even better, the tale is engaging, as good parables ought to be. Hero Chase Falson is the pastor of an evangelical megachurch in New England whose crisis of faith inopportunely manifests itself in a sermon to his congregation. He’s urged to take some time off and flees to visit a relative in Italy who happens to be a Franciscan priest. As Chase travels to restore himself spiritually, he learns about Francis of Assisi and what people of faith should be doing in their churches. Other authors would tackle this subject and crank out predictable, unoriginal nonfiction; Cron’s clever spin and gentle critique makes it fresh and lets it speak outside an evangelical Christian audience. Think the Italy part of Eat Pray, Love, minus the self-indulgence. Agent: Lee Hough, Alive Communications. (May)