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Reviewed by Edilyn Trinidad for Readers' Favorite
The Crucifix by Naomi Cashman follows Katherine, an orphan who was sent to the Convent of Mercy in Ireland in 1865. There, she meets Sister Nora, the Reverend Mother who oversees the orphanage. Katherine quickly discovers that not everything is as it seemed in the convent, and that something was quite different about the head nun. She was even more concerned to observe the other orphans’ obvious fear. To add to her growing feeling of uncertainty, she heard mysterious noises vibrating through the floorboards and found cryptic symbols in odd places. As she struggled to keep up with the strict rules, she watched in terror as the inhabitants of the orphanage seemed to disappear. In an already oppressive environment, Katherine found herself isolated from the other orphans. Determined to survive, Katherine vowed to uncover Sister Nora’s secrets and find a way to make it out of the convent alive.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Naomi Cashman’s The Crucifix. I loved the steady pace of the story as well as the surprising twists. Sister Nora’s character was genuinely terrifying. It gave me a different view of the usual benevolence associated with nuns and left me feeling grateful that I was not born in the 1800s, a time when there was no strict oversight of institutions such as orphanages. Katherine is a nuanced and multifaceted character, a reminder that people are not born just good or bad. Her backstory and character development were fascinating. Father Michael was also very interesting, and I wondered if I would’ve taken the same path as he did. I also felt the eeriness and oppressiveness of the Convent of Mercy through Katherine’s point of view. All in all, this is a great book!
