Pew

This unsettling novella examines the choices and motivations of an insular and god-fearing community in the American south after they find a voluntarily mute stranger of ambiguous race and sex sleeping on a pew in their church. It raises questions around identity, conformity, fear of the unknown, and the need to control and categorise our environments. Reminiscent of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

Summary: After finding an individual of ambiguous racial and gender identity sleeping on a church pew, members of the church in their small town in the American South begin taking turns playing host to the individual who, because they have not spoken a word (including their name) since being found in the church, is given the name “Pew.” As Pew moves from house to house, they become witness to both the community’s efforts to prepare for the mysterious Forgiveness Festival and to the inner lives of individuals in the town who begin sharing their innermost selves with them.