Out of the Storm

When an unexpected snow storm forces Thomas Fontane--a chain-smoking, scotch-drinking, stubborn old man--to open his cramped San Fernando Valley apartment to porn star Kitty St. Clare, he is surprised to find himself empathizing with her experiences of suffering, loss, guilt, and grief. Out of the Storm revolves around the lives of two people who seem to have little in common. But though they come from very different worlds--Fontane is a widower, sensitive, and well-read, St. Clare is a popular adult film star whose main goal in life is to numb the pain of her tragic childhood--each finds in the other a shared humanity. ""Good fiction can be measured by how successfully it has resisted the temptation of being didactic rather than do what all good literature does: tell a story. Not only does Clemente avoid this trap, he does so in a way that reveals the truth-telling power of fiction. Out of the Storm starts where all good Christian thinking starts, not with morality or a list of do's and don'ts, but with suffering, human fragility, beauty, and the body."" --John Panteleimon Manoussakis, College of the Holy Cross ""Clemente's powerful debut novel compels us to rethink our conceptions of the erotic and reminds us that real love is often found in shared woundedness. The understanding of sexuality offered by our increasingly virtual world is frequently rapid and reductive. More and more, we find ourselves alienated from our bodies and from one another. If we want to recapture the mystery of sex, we should start with good literature."" --Richard Kearney, author of Sam's Fall and Walking at Sea Level; Seelig Chair of Philosophy, Boston College ""With measured prose and remarkable pathos, Out of the Storm captures the pain and despair--but also the promise--that reside at the heart of every human life. This book journeys into the depths of skepticism in order to provide the reader a necessary reminder that, amidst life's unavoidable ugliness and imperfections, there is also great beauty."" --Scott Reznick, English Department, Boston College ""Out of the Storm is a compassionate tale and well worth reading. I found myself quite moved by the climactic encounter between the two main characters--an aging widower and an adult movie actress. The author's deft ear for the sad circumstances of these American lives proves no obstacle to the shrewdness of his wit. A promising debut."" --Lee Oser, author of Out of What Chaos and The Oracles Fell Silent M. Saverio Clemente is a husband and father of two. He lives in Massachusetts where he writes, studies, and teaches philosophy.