A year of lesser

David Bergen has created a richly layered story of sexual intrigue, vanity and betrayal in the small prairie town of Lesser, a community where everyone's most private moments become public knowledge. We meet Agnes, the local hairdresser who dispenses advice on husbands who stray, Michael, the physicist who loves to kill animals and have them stuffed, Phil, the charismatic minister who saves souls in his home, Melody, the pregnant teenager who turns to Johnny for help. As the seasons pass, love is won and lost, babies are created, an unexpected death redefines relationships, people fall from grace. As time catches up with Johnny, Loraine and Charlene, this sensuous, visceral novel provides an unforgettable portrait of the many faces of love. Its frank exploration of sexuality and its remarkable depiction of the power of caring resonate in the mind. A Year of Lesser searches for salvation amid the wreckage of ordinary lives.