Caitlin Hicks

PLAYWRIGHT. AUTHOR. PERFORMER. PRESENTER.

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“Deeply moral, life-affirming . . “

First communion

Ever wonder what it would be like to grow up in a large family? Caitlin Hicks captures the chaos and hardscrabble efforts of the thirteen Shea children to secure attention when needed and resist damaging assaults on privacy. And who better to tell the story than spunky 12-year-old Annie in the throes of puberty?

Annie suffers from rigid parenting, benign neglect, and a ritual-bound religious practice that defines the family. At the same time, she benefits from the give-and-take kind of love and life training she receives from her parents and siblings. A bossy little ball of outrage toward misguided authority, Annie displays a selfishness typical of children, but also compassion and empathy beyond her years for all but the nastiest of her siblings.

A Theory of Expanded Love” addresses the pain of adolescence with humor. The story is affective, deeply moral, and life-affirming. For all their faults, Annie’s family and her church have equipped her to make courageous decisions. The world needs more people, like Annie, who call on those they love to be their better selves.

– Sydney Avey, Christian author
www.sydneyavey.com


see review on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1224927515?book_show_action=false&page=1

Annie framed
“She’d been listening during Mass . . .”

Twelve year old Annie’s life is dominated by her Catholicism. She is number six of thirteen children and obsessed with how the election of the next pope could push her family into the spot of ‘best Catholic family’ in the parish. She even toys with the idea of becoming a nun to help their candidate gain favor. In this coming of age story, we peek into what it truly means to be part of a big family filled with people all struggling to do the right thing. At this pivotal time in Annie’s young life, she identifies herself in relationship to a patriarchy, be it the Catholic Church or the house ruled by her iron-fisted, ex-Navy father.

Set against the world events of 1963, A Theory of Expanded Love is the story of how Annie finds the strength to defy the patriarchy that defines her life and follow her own moral compass. Although she seemed caught up in the rules and outer trappings of her Catholicism, she’d been listening during Mass. When someone she loves needs her, she acts on her convictions with compassion and love.

Caitlin Hicks captures the inner workings of a twelve-year-old’s mind with empathy and humor. Annie is learning about the world, yet still has many questions about how the world of adults works. She is at the age where she is beginning to see her parents as fallible individuals that deserve forgiveness for their mistakes. Annie is wise beyond her years yet retains a child’s sense of optimism.

—Elizabeth Hein, Author
—https://scribblinginthestorageroom.wordpress.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074751.Elizabeth_Hein

 

First communion close up

 “My favorite book so far this year”

“Caitlin Hicks has turned out a delicately nuanced story told from the perspective of one feisty, smart, lovable little girl. As a Southern Baptist who believed that all Catholics were bound for hell, I was delighted with the Catholic counterpoint of myself--Annie begins her story with the hope that people who recently died were Catholic so they could get into heaven. I loved this book, loved the protagonist, loved the crazy family Hicks has created. What a triumph for this first novel!

“I just finished (A Theory of) Expanded Love, and thought it was just WONDERFUL!!! My favorite book so far this year, and probably will be for the whole year. I know it will do well. Congratulations!”

Deborah Hining, Author, A Sinner in Paradise
  *IndieFab Book of the Year Bronze Award Winner
*Benjamin Franklin Awards Silver Medal Winner

Review can be seen here on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1218374198?book_show_action=true&page=

Acclaimed Debut Novel

Republished by Sunbury Press this summer

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