Part one / Cancer: My part in its downfall -- A guest at the feast -- A brush with the law -- Part two / The paradoxical pope -- Among the flutterers -- The Bergoglio smile: Pope Francis -- The Ferns report -- Part three / Putting religion in its place: Marilynne Robinson -- Issues of truth and invention: Francis Stuart -- Snail show: John McGaharn -- Alone in Venice

"From one of the most engaging and brilliant writers of our time comes a collection of essays about growing up in Ireland during radical change; about cancer, priests, popes, homosexuality, and literature"--