Abide with Me

In the quiet, insulated world of a 1950s New England parish, Reverend Tyler Caskey grapples with an unbearable loss: the sudden death of his beloved wife, Lauren. Struck dumb with grief, his five-year-old daughter, Katherine, retreats into silence, leaving Tyler adrift, struggling to find the words not only for his sermons but for his own fractured life. As he attempts to navigate his pastoral duties while battling personal demons, the small-town rumor mill churns, fueled by Katherine's peculiar behavior and Tyler's increasingly close relationship with his housekeeper. Elizabeth Strout masterfully explores themes of faith, abandonment, and the hidden complexities of human relationships. Tyler's struggle to reconcile his faith with his sorrow, and his parishioners' judgments with their own secrets, culminates in a startling discovery that will test the very foundations of his community and his own enduring spirit, revealing the profound humanity in moments of shared trial and unspoken pain.