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Rita Harper met her husband in a religious cult in the United States. They are happily married, but Rita is still obsessed with their former leader, Leland Swann, and when Leland invites himself into the family home, and then announces his plan to revive People Under Gods Command in New Zealand, Rita believes that hes offering her a last chance at salvation.
Lelands arrival coincides with Ritas daughter, Stella, who has retreated home after the end of a relationship and is in no mood to flatter a guru. Rita throws herself into Lelands quest for fame and interferes in Stellas life, but if she cant face the truth of what happened forty years before, she might alienate her daughter and destroy her own marriage.
Acts of Love is an unputdownable story of passion and ambition, love and duty, and what God can mean to different people.
Praise for Acts of Love
It has been written with tremendous, skill, care and confidence and it's a powerhouse of a book... one of the best first books I've read in a long time. ...A captivating story, you really cannot put it down.
Mary McCallum SPEAKING VOLUMES RADIO NZ NATIONAL
Acts of Love is a very good read, and Susan Pearce does an excellent job of detailing a familys functions and dysfunctions against the backdrop of a history of religious indoctrination.
Jennifer Van Beyen LUMIERE READER
This is a first novel from Wellingtonian Susan Pearce, a highly regarded exponent of the short story, and an MA graduate in Creative Writing from Victoria University.
And what a stunner of a first novel it proves to be.
Graham Beattie BEATTIE'S BOOK BLOG
Acts of Love is not just an exploration of the different types of love that humans share; its a captivating story peopled with rambunctious characters who continue to surprise until the end.
Rachel King, author of The Sound of Butterflies, named Best First Book 2007 Montana New Zealand Book Awards
Really compelling and well-written.
Carole Beu, The Womens Bookshop
