Ryan McIlvain: Elders

Toward the end of Elders, one of the novel’s protagonists muses about how he sometimes views his life like a storyteller. When he does a good deed or works on a project, he tries to take in the details around him so they can be woven into a future narrative. As a result, he’s horribly disappointed when that effort is wasted because those moments don’t turn out to provide a satisfying story at all. It’s a self-aware moment for first-time author Ryan McIlvain, who is more concerned with painting an honest portrait than providing the action or drama that makes a traditional good story.
Elders splits time between the perspectives of Elders Passos and McLeod, a pair of young Mormon missionaries working in Brazil. Passos is a Brazilian who converted to Mormonism because after his mother’s death, he found comfort in the message that he would be reunited with his family in the afterlife. His church membership also offers him a glimpse of a better life, giving him a shot at studying in America and raising his family out of poverty.