A Separate Satisfaction

Name: A Separate Satisfaction
Brand: Manning J O
Price: 48.39 AUD

By: Manning J O'Connor

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Hardcover | 15 September 2026

At a Glance

Hardcover
310 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 2.06

Hardcover

$48.39

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A devastating loss.

A vocation he never sought.

A truth the Church would rather keep buried.

Six years ago, Declan Brady had everything-a brilliant legal career, a devoted wife, two children he adored. Then one catastrophic night shattered his world, leaving him drowning in a grief so deep it nearly destroyed him. In the wreckage, Declan walked away from the courtroom and into the priesthood, searching for purpose, penance, and some reason to keep living.

Now, summoned back to his hometown parish, Declan finds himself face to face with the ghosts he fled-and with a Church in quiet crisis. Whispers of misconduct. Parishioners whose faith is beginning to crack. A fellow priest whose unsettling comments and abrupt departure hint at something far darker. And a bishop who prefers silence to scandal.

When a pregnant law student steps into the confessional, seeking guidance on a decision that could change her life, Declan discovers that ministry is far more complicated than doctrine. He also discovers that his blunt honesty may be the one thing this parish needs, even as it puts his own future in the Church in jeopardy.

As he becomes entangled in the lives of the vulnerable-including a musically gifted but isolated young boy hiding a terrible secret-Declan must confront the institution he serves and the man he once was. Justice, faith, and truth collide, forcing him to choose between obedience to one man who claims to represent the Church . . . and protection of the innocent.

Industry Reviews

"Manning J. O'Connor delivers a masterful debut novel that combines brilliant, elegant prose with page-turning storytelling. Three decades in the making, the book is riveting, jarring, heart-wrenching, revelatory, and shockingly uplifting. O'Connor has spent his career laboring in the trenches of law practice; yet his keen eye for detail and grasp of the human condition have earned him a place as a serious writer on today's literary scene."

- Ken Gormley, New York Times best-selling author and Chancellor of Duquesne University

"In Manning O'Connor's debut novel, a widowed lawyer becomes a priest in the hope that altruism will remedy his loss. He meets a young, unmarried woman who is coping with a pregnancy she must face alone. She finally accepts her situation as does the priest who, though attracted to her, realizes that a separate satisfaction is the most unselfish choice for them both. The dialogue between them is unforgettable."

- Samuel Hazo, poet, playwright, novelist, and founder of the International Poetry Forum

"Thought-provoking and ultimately hopeful . . . an ambitious and heartfelt novel that tackles difficult subjects without losing sight of hope."

- James C. Bly, Jr., Co-Founder, Principal & Chairman Emeritus, FODIS

"A moving yet unsettling novel about atoning for past sins . . . O'Connor writes with the precision of a lawyer and the humanity of a priest."

- Joleen Lauffer, President of Aires

"A profound exploration of love, regret, sorrow, and redemption."

- Tom Grealish, Chairman and CEO of Henderson Brothers, Inc.

"I could not put it down . . . Truly moving."

- Jeff Wangler, CEO of Aires

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