Christmas books: ‘Saint Catherine’

’Tis the season for stocking stuffers and hopefully quiet time with a good book nestled under a blanket or near a fire. This year, two books from younger Catholics and a boxed set from an older one sit at the top of my gift-giving list.

Raised Catholic, artist Anna Meyer struggled for a time with scruples that she wasn’t living her faith correctly or well enough. And she put that experience into her new graphic novel “Saint Catherine,” which tells the story of a Catholic woman just out of college who goes to Mass every Sunday because she’s afraid of what will happen if she doesn’t. When, for the first time in her life, she misses a Sunday to spend time with her boyfriend, and finds herself suddenly haunted by demons (who largely look like an adorable children’s toy).

I realize particularly for older generations there’s a pretty high barrier to entrance when it comes to picking up a novel-length comic book. But having spent a lot of years listening to parents and grandparents share their fears about their children’s faith expressions (or apparent lack thereof), this is the book I’d love to give to them, as well as to their children. Along with Dulle’s memoir, it’s one of the few books out that captures the experiences and imagination of young Catholics today.