The Origin of the Brunists is the first novel written by Robert Coover, published in 1966.
Ninety-seven people lose their lives in a coal-mine explosion in a small mid-American town, leaving only one survivor, a lapsed Catholic with enigmatic visions. This survivor becomes the center of attention for the Brunists, a group of local mystics who see him as a doomsday prophet. The town's newspaper editor exposes the cult, leading to its rapid expansion and global fame. As the cult congregates on Mount of Redemption to await the apocalypse, the insanity of religious fervor and the unexpected madness of seemingly ordinary citizens ensues.
The book was published to critical acclaim and won the William Faulkner Foundation Award in 1967.
A sequel, The Brunist Day Of Wrath, was published in 2014.
Tropes found in the novel:
- Decoy Protagonist: Oxford Clemens has quite a lot of screen time for the first part of the novel, complete with characterizations and backstories. That is until he and along with other 97 miners died in the coal-mine explosion.
