The Patron Saint of Liars (1992) is Ann Patchett’s debut novel. Since its publication, Patchett has written seven more novels that feature multifaceted characters and plots that explore ambiguous moral dilemmas. These aspects of her work are present in The Patron Saint of Liars as well, which follows the story of Rose, a pregnant young woman who flees her unhappy marriage to live at a home for unwed mothers. The novel was a bestseller and was adapted as a movie in 1998, starring Dana Delany, Ellen Burstyn, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

This guide refers to the 2023 paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss the death of a baby and a death by drowning.

Plot Summary

The novel has four sections, each featuring a different narrator.

Part 1 of the novel is narrated by an unnamed omniscient narrator who provides a history of Habit, Kentucky, which is where Saint Elizabeth’s, a home for unwed mothers, is located. Saint Elizabeth’s is on the Clatterbucks’ land. George Clatterbuck discovered a hot spring that seemed to have healing powers in his back pasture. He was convinced that this was a miracle and publicized it. This led to people from all over the South coming to the Clatterbucks’ land to be healed. Eventually, a hotel, named the Hotel Louisa, was built to accommodate all the visitors coming to the spring. However, the spring eventually dried up, leading to the hotel running out of business. The hotel owners sold the building to the Catholic Church, who first turned the building into a nunnery and then turned it into a home for unwed mothers. The people of Habit have avoided the building ever since it was a hotel, and their tradition of not visiting the building continues even after the Catholic Church claimed it.

Rose Clinton is the narrator of Part 2 of the novel. Rose lives in California with her mother, Helen. Unsure of what to do with her life, she looks for “a sign from God” and thinks she finds it in Thomas Clinton, a meek and quiet math teacher (26). She marries him but soon starts to feel stifled. When Rose discovers that she is pregnant, she is terrified of being stuck in her current life, so she decides to leave Thomas. She travels cross-country to Saint Elizabeth’s, intending to place her child for adoption. While at Saint Elizabeth’s, she enjoys working in the kitchen and helping one of the nuns, Sister Evangeline. Rose decides to stay on at Saint Elizabeth’s and marries Son Abbott, Saint Elizabeth’s caretaker. However, she tells no one that she is already married and carries this lie for the rest of her life.

Part 3 of the novel is narrated by Son Abbott. As Son navigates Rose’s emotional distance and lack of honesty about her past, he reflects on his life, thinking especially of his first love who died in a drowning accident. When Rose gives birth to a daughter, Sissy, Son raises her as his own. He thinks that Rose does not have maternal instincts, and he is upset by this and by the fact that she lets everyone—the nuns and residents at Saint Elizabeth’s—take care of Sissy because she doesn’t like to. Son is an extremely devoted father, and he doesn’t criticize Rose because he worries that she will take Sissy away from him. When the last of the Clatterbuck family dies, Rose and Son inherit their giant parcel of land. However, this inheritance ultimately leads to Rose and Son’s separation, as Rose cannot keep up with the various lies she’s told him about her past.

Part 4 of the novel is narrated by Sissy, Rose’s daughter. As Sissy becomes a teenager, she resents the fact that her mother is extremely distant from her. Rose begins teaching Sissy how to drive, which gives Sissy agency, freedom, and a way to feel close to her mother. One day, Rose receives a letter telling her that Thomas will be coming to Saint Elizabeth’s, and she decides to flee. No one knows where she has gone, and Sissy is angry at her mother’s disappearance. When Thomas arrives, he reveals that Rose’s mother has died, and he wanted to tell her in person. He additionally reveals that he looked for Rose for years after she left him. Sissy feels an extremely strong connection to Thomas; however, she never realizes that he is her biological father. The novel ends with Sissy deciding to stay at Saint Elizabeth’s, even without Rose.