We Sinners

This stunning debut novel--drawn from the author's own life experience--tells the moving story of a family of 11 in the American Midwest, bound together & torn apart by their faith

The Rovaniemis & their 9 children belong to a deeply traditional church (no drinking, no dancing, no TV) in modern-day Michigan. A normal family in many ways, the Rovaniemis struggle with sibling rivalry, parental expectations, & forming their own unique identities in such a large family. But when two of the children venture from the faith, the family fragments & a haunting question emerges: Do we believe for ourselves, or for each other? 

Each chapter is told from the distinctive point of view of a different Rovaniemi, drawing a nuanced, kaleidoscopic portrait of this unconventional family. The children who reject the church learn that freedom comes at the almost unbearable price of their close family ties, & those who stay struggle daily with the challenges of resisting the temptations of modern culture. 

With precision & potent detail, We Sinners follows each character on their journey of doubt, self-knowledge, acceptance, &, ultimately, survival.

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“Pylvainen deftly explores this dance between oppression & liberation, between belief & unbelief, & shows the gray areas. These are not polarities but gradations of human experience. We all move in & out of various communities & belief systems, searching for love & acceptance. Often we search for forgiveness. This novel shows that sometimes it's found in strange places.” —The Wichita Eagle

“In some ways, the Rovaniemi family is like ordinary American families, with sibling rivalries, birth order issues, & parental expectations. But the questions about faith--how it binds the family together but also mutates & divides it--elevate it beyond the confines of the traditional domestic novel & into a resonant & magical work of imagination.” —Chicago Tribune