This is a powerful book and the characters are beautifully written. I was drawn into the book by the second chapter and couldn't put it down. There are some intense parts, it deals with issues that may be disturbing to a more sensitive person, but the beauty of this book is the friendship that develops between two unlikely people.

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are purely my own and not influenced in any way.--
Let me start by saying that I generally hate books with multiple perspectives as I feel they can really bog down the story with unnecessary nonsense. This book suffers from this a little bit particularly in the beginning, but it evens itself out in the end. Now, the characters: since you know going in that this will probably be about abuse in the church, then having good, solid characters is absolutely necessary to drive this plot along. Did Sever succeed in this? Again, mostly. I feel like Alphonse was easily the most fleshed out character in this book and the others certainly FELT like they were characters, but I feel like they made the Monsignor WAY too cartoonishly evil and more like a plot device than an actual person I should give a crap about ((view spoiler)). Francis was also kind of flat, but I feel like that was by design, though I would have liked to have seen more from his perspective. Zach I REALLY wish we got more perspective from because, as a whole, I feel like he got the shaft on what could have been one of the more interesting points of view and his plot didn't really go anywhere.
The ending seemed a bit too neat for a story that was showing the complexities of abuse from a person in power, and the sort-of epilogue was predictable, but believable.

Overall, I don't regret reading it, but I don't think this will be easily remembered for me. If this is a topic that interests you, I would probably recommend A History of Loneliness because I feel it does a better job tackling the subject. 3.5 stars.

I do enjoy a good historical fiction and was really intrigued by this story-line. The 1950s Indiana setting is what convinced me that I need to get the book. This is a sad and memorable book. It tackles heavy themes of child abuse in the church. We have all seen the media reports about priests getting convicted for child abuse. It has happened even here in Kenya. This is what this book is about. Alphonse suspects that Francis is being abused by Father Brennon and he decides to do something about it. However, people don’t really take him seriously.

There are many heartbreaking moments in this book and some sections were tough to read. My heart broke for Francis as he started showing signs of a changed personality. I could feel his struggles with what he was going through and his inability to tell. His family’s reaction at Alphonse’s revelations was also quite heartbreaking.

I did like the small town setting and most of the characters in this story although of course, not all. I really liked Alphonse as a character and his protectiveness of the Sadler’s family. As I have already mentioned, this book does deal with very heavy themes that may be a trigger for some readers so it may not be for everyone. However, if you like historical fiction then you may want to check out Alphonse by Carl Sever.

I wanted to like this book but the subject matter was too powerful

This is a book that will stay with you after the last page. Wonderful narrative which honestly at times was hard to read. Yes, this book is about abuse, but is so well written it draws you in. You feel that you are a resident small town Indiana. You feel for the characters, you feel their pain. If you want a book that will have you emotionally vested, this is the book that will do so. I will be looking for more from this author. Kudos to the author. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This book deals with the heartbreaking topic of abuse. It is beautifully written and I feel it is carefully and sensitively written as well. The pain in the book is evident. The hurt and the devastation caused by the abuse is evident and heartbreaking. Alphonse has his secrets as well. He is not all he appears to be. There is a lot of sadness in the ending. This is a book which will stay in my thoughts for a long time.

Alphonse, by Carl Sever, is a beautiful story of life in the 50s and the people who kept small town America a place where growing up was simple and complicated, happy and sad, but a place where you would like to live. Thirteen year old Francis worked for the Monsignor of his church, resulting in him viewing life differently from his carefree brother and his friends. With the guidance of his father, Edgar, and ex-rail rider, Alphonse, he discovers how to make the best of his life. Such a beautiful cast of characters who teach us about friendship, living, and surviving in a world that is not always perfect. I loved this book. My thanks to NetGalley and Spark Press for allowing me to read this unforgettable book.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Carl Sever, and Sparkpress in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, for sharing your work with me.

Alphonse is set in 1959 in the very small town of Saint Joseph, Indiana. Alphonse is a reformed rail rider, supposedly crazy, settling down from his hobo lifestyle years earlier to help Edgar and Sara Sadler get established after the birth of their son Zack, and to protect the children of St. Joseph from their priest, first Father and then Monsignor Brennon, whom Alphonse recognizes from his train hopping days as an abuser of young boys. Edgar, a legally blind former miner, was hired as a handyman 13 years ago, and fulfills that job at the church and school despite his growing handicap with the help of his two sons, Zack and Francis, and Alfonse.

A wonderful novel, Carl Sever takes you with him to this small town, you become a part of this small family, and experience (again, for some of us) the late 1950's in smallville. This is a first novel for Carl Sever. I hope there will be many more.