Nuns help a woman sort out her life in Shorewood author Liam Callanan's romantic comedy novel 'When in Rome'

One novel at a time, Shorewood writer Liam Callanan is conquering the great cities of Europe.

In "Paris by the Book" (2018), Callanan sent a Milwaukee mother and her teenage daughters to the City of Lights, where they took over a charming bookstore.

Next Callanan stop: the Eternal City.

In his sweet new romantic comedy, "When in Rome," a 52-year-old single mother (from Milwaukee) is in Italy on a business trip when she faces up to the conflict that's gnawed at her for decades: Should she marry the man she's loved since college — or join a convent?

It has been a long time since I've read a novel about contemporary life that is so Catholic. It helps to be set in Rome, of course, where a stunning historic church is around every other corner. But Callanan also creates a memorable Catholic character in heroine Claire Murphy, whose mother died young and who was warmly nurtured by a Milwaukee community of nuns. They wouldn't let her join up until she completed college, so she went off to Yale, where she's mocked as the future nun, but where she also meets the kind Marcus Sarderson.

In a moment of crisis back then, Claire ran away from both possibilities, later gave birth to feisty daughter Dorothy (named for Dorothy Day!) and embarked on an unusual career in real estate. She became a specialist in selling churches, rectories and other properties for religious institutions, an all-too-believable line of work in the 21st century. One such mission brings her to Rome, to consult on the sale of a convent for the sisters of St. Gertrude. More or less simultaneously, she falls in love with the stunning old building and the community of three nuns still living there.

But as she ponders a vow, here comes Marcus. Discernment, discernment. Is it supposed to be this hard, Claire asks one of the sisters. Yes, is the nun's honest answer.

As a product of Catholic schooling, I've known enough nuns to appreciate they represent a full range of humanity. But in fiction, nuns are like garlic and bacon: They make it better and richer. Callanan's sisters evince that special mixture of practical competence and spiritual toughness that marks contemporary women in religious life.

As Claire tries to forestall an unwanted sale while sorting out her own conflicted heart, she scurries around Rome from one picturesque via to another. There's even a papal cameo. Trigger warning: This novel's scenic descriptions, food references and coffee bar stops may have the susceptible Googling flights to Italy.

Callanan is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he serves as creative writing plan coordinator. His earlier books include a novel titled "The Cloud Atlas," published the same year as the slightly more famous "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell. His amusing essay about that coincidence can still be read online at TheAwl.com.

If you go

Liam Callanan will launch his novel "When in Rome" with a 6:30 p.m. talk March 14 at Boswell Books, 2559 N. Downer Ave. Admission is free but registration is required. Visit boswellbooks.com.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Liam Callanan's romantic comedy 'When in Rome' has nuns come to rescue