On Saturday night at ICRS, a couple of surprise winners were the talk of the Christy Awards, the highest honor given in Christian fiction. Paraclete Press, a small, ecumenical religion publisher based on Cape Cod, took the award for first novel with Nicole Mazzarella's This Heavy Silence, a dark story of redemption for an Ohio woman farmer. The win was not surprising based on merit-Mazzarella's book recently won the top fiction award from Christianity Today, and was listed among the best of 2005 by Library Journal-but because of its honest depiction of the character's life and some themes and language not usually associated with Christian fiction. "I wrote the book for a very general readership, so the fact that it has been honored by the Christys is encouraging," said Mazzarella. "I think the reason it is so shocking to me is that the protagonist doubts God more than she believes in him."

Bio: Thick-skinned and independent Dottie Connell is farming her family's 400 acres in rural Ohio alone when tragedy suddenly leaves Mattie, her best friend's daughter, in her care. Despite pressure from a community not accustomed to single women raising children, Dottie adopt and therefore finds herself confronting longentrenched ideas about motherhood and sexuality. Dottie also learns that in order to keep the farm, she must betray the daughter she has adopted.

"Take a drive through Pleasant Valley in Ohio, and you'll instantly know why it inspired the setting for This Heavy Silence," Mazzarella told Christian Retailing. "The harsh beauty of these farms stirred in my mind the character of Dottie, who I imagined as an 80-year-old woman telling me her story. I was attracted by the challenge of telling the story of a woman as determined, bitter and loyal as Dottie."

Mazarella won second place in the Paraclete Press Fiction Contest in 2004. She teaches creative writing and literature at Wheaton College and lives with her husband, Chris, in Wheaton, 111.

Approaching 40, Dottie Connell's only passion is her parents' inheritance-a 300-acre farm in rural Ohio. Although the land isn't yet hers, she's fiercely determined to make her monthly payments and claim future ownership.

Her life, marked by hard work and solitude, is turned upside down when her closest friend arrives one night to leave her 8-year-old daughter Mattie in Dottie's care. That same evening, both of Mattie's parents die in their fire-engulfed home, and Dottie is forced to make decisions she's ill-equipped to consider.

Mazzarella closely examines the impact of Dottie's choices to fulfill a life-long dream at the expense of relationships with family, neighbors, and God. Descriptions of both place and people are sometimes sparse, yet eloquent and a pleasure to read. For example, her description of an early spring thaw reads: "Sluggish water rose between blocks of ice though snow continued to fall. Winter, like grieving, was a succession of false endings. "

This story of introspection and ultimately hope will find special appeal for women who appreciate literary fiction.

*Stubborn, independent Dottie Connell's greatest desire is to own the 300 acres of farmland that her family has worked all her life. Then childhood friend Zela Brubaker dies unexpectedly 11 naming Dottie as the guardian of her young daughter, Mattie. Although Dottie is not sure she wants to raise the girl, she finally has her chance to purchase her beloved land, but the cost requires Mathe's total inheritance, which is more than the property will ever be worth. First novelist Mazzarella creates a memorable protagonist who thwarts every chance at love by demanding those around her to join in her all-consuming devotion to the land. She knows the life she has chosen, and she also knows the terrible price she will pay for it. A finalist for the Paraclete Press Fiction Award of 2004, this is highly recommended for all collections. Mazzarella teaches creative writing at Wheaton College in Illinois. (from the Christian Fiction column by Tamara Butler)