Published in 2015, The Sunken Cathedral is a novel written by Kate Walbert. The protagonist’s name is Marie. Simone has been Marie’s best for decades, ever since they survived WWII in France together and immigrated to New York City together. For most of the book, they are seventy year old widows who live in Chelsea (which is in New York City). In addition, all of the characters in have some connection to Marie, whether being her tenant, a worker at her son’s school, her art teacher.
Kate Walbert’s writing tells the story of Marie and also delves deeper into the disparity between what her characters want to do and what they end up doing, between their world and their thoughts. Through every marriage, friendship, and every small detail of life, Walbert narrates life beautifully and reminds the reader about change in the way people live.
