Heaven and Hell in America: 'Dante’s Indiana'

In a cultural landscape that is often hostile—or at best indifferent—to religion, a popular and widely lauded novel whose plot focuses not only on matters of faith but also a main character whose worldview and identity is shaped entirely by his Catholicism is a rare occurrence. Randy Boyagoda, perhaps best known for his biography of First Things founder and prolific author Richard John Neuhaus, has written just such a novel. Dante’s Indiana is a superb literary achievement, and one with no small amount of humor, that Catholics and non-Catholics alike should pick up at the earliest opportunity.