Angelic imaginations and human foibles in new Catholic novel

Trevor Cribben Merrill has released a new novel titled The Comforts of Exile, published by Wiseblood Books. The 311-page book serves as a sequel to Merrill's previous work, Minor Indignities.

The story follows 22-year-old Colin Phelps, a recent college graduate and convert who moves to France to teach after a breakup. While living abroad, Colin falls in love with a devout woman named Laure and enters the French literary scene following a meeting with a former professor, Harry McClatchy.

Despite these developments, Colin struggles with his writing. The novel explores his psychological struggle with what he calls an angelic imagination, a condition where he remains stuck in abstract ideas rather than focusing on the realities of everyday life.