ALTERED BOYS

[Updated and replaced by Alter Boy Rules.] What happens with an irreverent, bemused, pagan seventh-grade altar boy in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1958, when a priest sexually abuses him? Warning: If you’re a devout anything, it’s probably best not to read beyond page three if you don’t want to encounter blasphemous satire. Or perhaps you should stop reading three pages earlier. You’ve been warned, politely and respectfully. The novel is tragic, satirical, enraging, and, ultimately (I hope) uplifting.