Lying Awake

In a Carmelite monastery outside present-day Los Angeles, life goes on in a manner virtually unchanged for centuries. Sister John of the Cross has spent years there in the service of God, but lately her life has been electrified by ever more frequent visions of God's radiance. Sister John's waking dreams have led her towards the deepest religious ecstasy she has ever known, and have allowed her life and writings to become an example of the rewards of devotion for her fellow supplicants. But her visions are accompanied by shattering headaches, and when a doctor reveals that they may be dangerous, she faces a devastating choice. For her spiritual gifts are a symptoms of illness rather than grace, will a cure mean the end of her visions and a soul once again at odds with the world?