Prayers in Bath

After several attempts at in vitro fertilization, Ted and Julia Taylor are out of money and out of hope. In an attempt to shake herself out of her depression, Julia accepts an internship on an archaeological dig in Bath, England. When she finds an ancient scroll while working in the sewer connected to the Roman baths, she sneaks it back to her flat, translates it, and discovers a secret previously lost in the shadows of legend. But her new knowledge poses significant risks, and the repercussions leave her career, her faith, and her marriage hanging in the balance.

"A moving journey into the interior landscape of a private grief observed and a wounded faith examined, as well as a sensitive exploration of inclusion and alienation within a Mormon marriage, family, and community. Prayers in Bath tugs the reader deep down into its complex heroine's grief, emptiness, and reawakening-deep down into the silt in the aqueducts under ancient Bath that just might bring forth miracles." - Julie Berry, author of The Passion of Dolssa

"Luisa Perkins is among a handful of first-rate authors whose work I read as soon as it appears. Her stories are always well-written, compelling, and rewarding. Most important they are character-driven stories that make me think-even long after the story has ended. Prayers in Bath is no exception. It's Perkins at the height of her craft. Don't miss this one. Frankly don't miss anything she writes." - Steven L. Peck, author of A Short Stay in Hell and The Scholar of Moab

"Compact and compelling, Prayers in Bath challenges the reader to ask "What if...?" What if faith leads to unexpected ends? What if light and knowledge don't come from the sources we're conditioned to look to? What if that source is a woman? The story deftly challenges readers to face questions and discomforts-with the process of revelation, with disappointed faith, with women's spiritual callings-and takes us out of the safety of routine answers by reframing them in a textured, contemporary context. This is a highly original story executed by an exceptionally skilled hand." - Neylan McBaine, author of Women at Church

Educated at Brigham Young University and Vermont College of Fine Arts, Luisa Perkins has always been intrigued by the power of language to inspire, reveal, and transform. She is the author of the novels Dispirited and The Book of Jer3miah: Premonition as well as several short stories and essays.