In The Bishop’s Man, Canadian author and investigative journalist Linden MacIntyre writes from the perspective of Father Duncan MacAskill, a priest who spent much of his career orchestrating discreet cover-ups for various Church scandals on behalf of his bishop. At the beginning of the novel, he has returned to his native Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia to maintain a low profile at the bishop’s urging. However, his homecoming only dredges up disturbing memories, and implicates him further in his fellow clergymen’s indiscretions.
Plot Summary
The book is written in first-person point-of-view from Duncan’s perspective, and describes not only his daily life as a parish priest in Cape Breton, but also reflects back to memories of past Church scandals and missionary work in South America. While Duncan’s memories drive him to drink, they also drive him to peruse old journals, sections of which are scattered throughout the book.
Readers begin with a protagonist they believe is relatively good-natured, albeit a touch bitter and tortured. However, they soon learn of past love affairs, violent tendencies, and suspicious activity on behalf of the Church.
Meanwhile, the people of Stella Maris, Duncan’s parish, reach out to their new priest in hopes he will solve the problems of a desperate and dying community. As the economy worsens and the fish grow scarce, hope is hard to muster. Duncan is asked to look out for one teenage boy in particular, Danny, who talks of moving west. Though Danny is a boy of few words, Duncan seems to be developing a fondness for him, when Danny unexpectedly commits suicide.
After this horrific event, Duncan spirals into alcoholism while an investigative journalist chases after him with questions about his past and a priest named Brendan Bell. Duncan becomes obsessed with finding the cause of Danny’s depression, and suspects it is related to the scandals Duncan himself conspired to hide.
Memory and Time
The Bishop’s Man initially seems to follow a chronological trajectory, with any remembrances from the past clearly indicated as journal entries. However, as the book progresses, segments from times past pop up in unexpected places, forcing readers to puzzle out what time and place Duncan is recalling. Closer to the end, some incidences are even repeated.
By confusing time in his novel, MacIntyre truly perfects the notion of first-person perspective. Readers are privy to Duncan’s thoughts and memories, which are increasingly addled by his emotional distress and heavy alcohol use.
But what readers also experience is the deep and nearly full self-delusion Duncan allows himself. He is so well-versed at feigning innocence about his own underhanded and deceptive behaviour within the Church, that readers are almost shocked when they understand the true extent of his role as the bishop’s man.
Final Thoughts
The Bishop’s Man is a well-written, intriguing and profound fictionalised account of the sexual scandals that rippled through Nova Scotia at the time of its publication. MacIntyre approaches the issue with tact, but simultaneously with uncompromising honesty. While some readers may be offended or made uncomfortable by the subject matter, The Bishop’s Man is ultimately not about the Church, but about an ordinary man struggling to understand his past and his morals.
Bibliography
MacIntyre, Linden. The Bishop’s Man. Published by Vintage Canada, 2009. ISBN 978-0-307-35707-6.
Carolyn Psutka - MA in English and self-professed bibliophile.
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