“Secrets. Everyone has them.” Pious has quite a few. Here are some, in case you missed them…

  1. Pious takes place over the course of three seasons – fall, winter, and spring. This is intentional and even in describing Carpious,
    Kenn Bivins is likening him (his skin color) to the fall. Something about him is on the verge of dying as the story begins.
  2. The street name, Mechi Lane, is a nod to the practice of “mechila” which is asking for forgiveness. Mechila is given particular attention during Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days of the year for Jewish people.
  3. Admah City is an imaginary city. Admah is an actual city mentioned in the Bible. It was one of the neighboring cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and was a major sea port of trade. It is akin to a New York, LA or Atlanta.
  4. 361 Mechi Lane mirrors Carpious’s house number of 163 much like Ian is a reformed mirror of Carpious.
  5. PIOUS is told in three acts, following Richard Wright’s Native Son as a guide – fear, flight, and fate.
  6. Chapter 1 is all about facades. “You define what you want people to see,” is what real estate agent, Deidre says to Ian.
  7. Alethea is Greek for “truth.” Who she was in the beginning is who she was in the end.
  8. Carpious name is a play on “pious” and “carp,” a fish. The fish is indicative of the Christian symbol, which Carpious masks himself with.
  9. As odd as his name is, Carpious was named after his father. More irony.
  10. Carpious knows where to buy drugs and how to pick locks. These instances are a peek into the fact that he once was, or still is, someone else.
  11. Near the end, Carpious is referred to by his prison ID number, RM13911. This is a reference to Bible verses Romans 13:9-11.
    The main focus of these passages is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.“
  12. The cover was originally intended to be a full color painting but Kenn didn’t want the color to distract from the metaphorical meaning of the cover nor did he want Pious to be slumped into the “just another Urban novel” category. Pious is a tale that someone of any ethnicity can relate to.