Kingdom of Simplicity

First Place Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award and Grand Prize Winner from Writers Digest, based on a true story of forgiveness. Two weeks after her college graduation, Holly Payne was struck by a drunk driver and left unable to walk for nearly a year. The driver wrote a letter, asking for forgiveness but rather than respond with a letter, she wrote Kingdom of Simplicity, inspired by the Amish practice of forgiveness.

Payne, a native of Amish Country Lancaster, Pennsylvania, invites the reader into the world of Eli Yoder, a misguided Amish youth, who, after losing his family in a tragic accident, struggles with forgiving the perpetrator. True to Amish tradition, everyone has moved on with their lives except him. Shamed by his unwillingness to forgive, Eli leaves home during rumspringa, the time of 'running around' for Amish youth before they accept their faith, and searches for acceptance from the Outside World. For anyone seeking forgiveness or confronted with the choice to forgive, Kingdom of Simplicity is an invitation to live from the heart and heal.

“In the thick bark of a walnut tree that grows on the road at the edge of our farm is a scar that has haunted me for most of my life. Though the mark resembles a lightening strike, it is less visible to the unpracticed eye. Those of faith say it was the hand of God that put it there, but it’s taken me a long time to see the imprint of anything holy.”
— Holly Payne, Kingdom of Simplicity

“Kingdom of Simplicity tells a story about scars, literal and metaphoric. Like the culture of the Amish she has chosen to explore, Holly Payne tells a gripping story with quiet grace, economy and contained (but never absent) emotion. It’s a gem.”

Joyce Maynard, bestselling author of Labor Day and To Die For

“Holly Payne has graced us with a guide to forgiveness through the mechanism of an enjoyable and well-written story. Rich characters and compelling insights allow us to understand and hopefully use the peace her protagonist struggles to find.”

Frederic Luskin, Ph.D, director of Stanford Forgiveness Projects

“An unforgettable tale of loss, hope, and redemption that establishes Holly Payne as one of our finest literary fiction writers. Eli’s journey resonates with our human need to find meaning in an often incomprehensible world.”

Christopher Gortner, author of The Last Queen

“I marveled at the depth of research and felt completely immersed in the culture and customs of the Pennsylvania Amish. With persistently graceful prose, Holly Payne builds a world that we are heartbroken to leave when the story ends. A beautiful, literary treasure box.”

Erika Mailman, author of The Witch’s Trinity

“Payne takes us into the exotic, strange world of the Amish to explore the universal nature of forgiveness. Eli Yoder is a young man born with a disfigurement common to his community— webbed hands—but who carries a deeper disfigurement in his heart—an inability to come to terms with a tragic accident and the unknown man who caused it. I found myself rooting for Eli, and I was taken to the place where the best books take us—into my own heart, wondering what on earth I would do if I was in his shoes.”

Caroline Paul, author of East, Wind Rain and Fighting Fire

“I loved this story. I sat in the middle of the Philadelphia airport reading
the end of the book in tears. My heart just broke for Eli Yoder page after page. How misguided we are in our youth, or even as adults, when we make assumptions about our identities and the way others perceive us. Kingdom of Simplicity is a gift to share with abundance.”

Rosanne Selfon, President of Women of Reform Judaism

“Holly Payne’s Kingdom of Simplicity is a classic tale of the redemptive power of forgiveness. Eli Yoder will capture the readers’ hearts and their compassion as he struggles to come to terms with the trauma of his past. Payne’s skill as writer makes Kingdom of Simplicity irresistible and Eli’s story will remain with her readers for years to come.”

Kathleen Caldwell, owner of A Great Good Place for Books