Patrick Thomas Casey’s debut novel, OUR BURDEN’S LIGHT, pushes literary writing to a new edge—combining rough, jagged imagery with lyrical prose. Set in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the first weeks of fall, the novel follows the devastating aftermath of small town violence. In one moment the peacefulness of the valley is disrupted forever, leaving imprints on the hearts of all those affected.
 
Casey’s Edenic story of being cast out of paradise is re-imagined through the lens of contemporary America through the stories of three people knotted together in their losses of innocence. The stages of grief are shown through their eyes—Robert Shelley, a mournful father who copes with the loss of his son; Evelyn, the young victim of a tragedy that leaves her scarred both physically and mentally; and Hayden, whose innocence is blown away with the single firing of a shotgun. They rely on each other to bring clarity and acceptance, but they must learn to heal individually.
 
Interspersed throughout the main storyline are sections titled “Children of God”—moving vignettes of lives affected by and tied to Shenandoah. The characters in these stories have also lost their innocence in various ways, such as the loss of a brother in the military, a broken childhood in the home of a single mom, or the inability to face a dying parent. The sections are beautifully tied together, showing the power of redemption, loss and love in a skillful debut by a talented new voice.
 
OUR BURDEN’S LIGHT provides an honest look at the human heart’s ability to cope with tragedy and grief as well as its capacity for forgiveness. Characters’ emotions will ring true in the hearts of readers, making OUR BURDEN’S LIGHT a beautiful novel sure to touch the soul.

“From the opening paragraph…I knew I was reading a writer of extraordinary talent. Patrick Thomas Casey is an exciting new voice in American fiction.”
--Ron Rash, author of Serena

PATRICK THOMAS CASEY graduated from Boston College where he was awarded the Cushing Award. His short stories have appeared in Other Voices, among other literary journals. Casey grew up in Washington, DC and now lives in New Orleans, LA.