89th Temple

On the island of Shikoku in Japan, there is a pilgrimage of 88 temples. Once an ascetic rite of passage for monks, it has become a more generalized ritual of penance and spiritual rejuvenation for troubled souls. Seven juvenile offenders on leave from various reform schools are doing the 1,300-kilometer pilgrimage on foot with a counselor and some assigned wardens from the state. The youths are under strict observation with at least one of the supervisors with them at all times. Once the seven finish the pilgrimage, they will be released. Will they rejoin society or leave it behind?

Genre and market:
A 50,000-word thriller. The Seven Samurai meets The Fugitive for young adults.
Advance review of The 89TH Temple:
"Absorbing and harrowing, capturing the more ominous aspects of the society it describes. The reader is immersed in the situation from the outset and kept there till the end. Powerfully realized and tellingly paced." - Ciaran Murray, The Secret Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Charlie Canning taught English for ten years at three different universities in Japan before enrolling in the PhD program in creative writing at the University of Adelaide. He has co-edited a collection of Japanese American literature, written an academic writing textbook, and published dozens of articles and reviews. The 89TH Temple is his first novel. For more information, please visit the author website at: http://charliecanning.com/home.html.