--- title: Terrapin by T.M. Doran -- A Catholic Novel description: "Terrapin: A Mystery by T.M. Doran" --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2012/11/12/terrapin-by-t-m-doran-a-catholic-novel#) # Terrapin by T.M. Doran -- A Catholic Novel Nov 12, 2012 9:00:57 PM  |  by [Guest](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/guest) **A view of Catholic fiction that G.K. Chesterton, J.R.R. Tolkien, Flannery O’Connor, ****and Ignatius Press author T.M. Doran have in common**** ** SAN FRANCISCO, November 12, 2012 – What constitutes a Catholic novel? Must it include obvious Catholic themes and characters, or is there another approach that will more effectively engage and challenge our culture? ![Terrapin A Mystery by T.M. Doran](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Terrapin-A-Mystery-by-T_M_-Doran-262x400-1.jpg?width=262&height=400&name=Terrapin-A-Mystery-by-T_M_-Doran-262x400-1.jpg "Terrapin A Mystery by T.M. Doran") Terrapin: A Mystery by T.M. Doran This is a question that intrigued author T.M. Doran as he set out to write his second novel, [***Terrapin***](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586177214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1586177214&linkCode=as2&tag=catholicmomcom).  Doran desired to write a rousing, absorbing story and was inspired to follow in the big footsteps of Catholic writers such as G.K. Chesterton, T.S. Eliot, J.R.R. Tolkien, Evelyn Waugh, and Flannery O'Connor. Some of these writers, such as Tolkien, composed heroic myths. Others, such as Eliot, Waugh, and O’Connor, delved into the messiness of the world. These stories reflected the light of the Gospel, not by imposing the author’s viewpoint on the reader, but by proposing ideas and values which readers might apply to their own experiences. Sometimes, this takes the form (as in O’Connor’s *Wise Blood*) of depicting a world without the Gospel, or the form (as in Waugh’s *Brideshead Revisited*) of the misery that proceeds when Catholics seek to accommodate the world. That isn’t to say that these great writers wrote with the explicit intention to evangelize, but they were writing from perspectives that were formed by their faith and by the Gospel. Likewise, Doran’s faith formed the characters and themes in [***Terrapin***](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586177214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1586177214&linkCode=as2&tag=catholicmomcom), including soul-searching themes such as human freedom, the possibility of transformation, man’s potential for doing either good or evil and his response to the consequences of his actions. T.M. Doran explains, “Many in our culture are, in part, formed by literature. Many Catholics are sorely aggrieved by family and friends who have abandoned the faith or are antagonistic to the faith, family and friends who would not read an explicitly Catholic novel or a book on Catholic apologetics, but they might read a rousing story like [***Terrapin***](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586177214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1586177214&linkCode=as2&tag=catholicmomcom), and they might be stirred by it to examine their own lives and priorities.” To learn more about [***Terrapin***](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586177214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1586177214&linkCode=as2&tag=catholicmomcom), please visit: [www.TerrapinMystery.com](http://www.terrapinmystery.com/) **About the Author** **T. M. Doran** is a writer, educator, and consultant. An adjunct professor of civil engineering at Lawrence Technological University, he is the author of the popular novel *Toward the Gleam*. [*Order Terrapin and support CatholicMom.com with your purchase*](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586177214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1586177214&linkCode=as2&tag=catholicmomcom) ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2012%2F11%2F12%2Fterrapin-by-t-m-doran-a-catholic-novel%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2012%2F11%2F12%2Fterrapin-by-t-m-doran-a-catholic-novel%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2012%2F11%2F12%2Fterrapin-by-t-m-doran-a-catholic-novel%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Terrapin%20by%20T.M.%20Doran%20--%20A%20Catholic%20Novel) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2012%2F11%2F12%2Fterrapin-by-t-m-doran-a-catholic-novel%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2012%2F11%2F12%2Fterrapin-by-t-m-doran-a-catholic-novel%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Guest](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Profile%203.jpg) ### [Guest](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/guest) We welcome guest contributors who graciously volunteer their writing for our readers. Please support our guest writers by visiting their sites, purchasing their work, and leaving comments to thank them for sharing their gifts here on CatholicMom.com. To inquire about serving as a guest contributor, contact editor@CatholicMom.com. ## Related Blog Articles [ The 2017 Catholic Reading Challenge Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2017/01/26/2017-catholic-reading-challenge) [ Two from the Bookshelf Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2013/06/01/two-from-the-bookshelf) [ Terrapin: A Novel I Enjoyed Muchly (& FREE until Nov. 24!) 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