Flannery O'Connor and Edward Lewis Wallant: Two of a Kind reflects upon the works of these two 20th Century American writers. In style and substance, the fiction of O'Connor and Wallant highlights a convergence seldom seen in literature through their singular vision of man as deeply spiritual in nature. Both writers were preoccupied with the meaning of man's existence—his understanding of himself, his relationship with his fellow man, and his relationship to God—and their writings provide a unique examination of their philosophical views.

"... this book pushes in a direction far too often ignored by O' Connor specialists: the ways her writing is connected to the ideas of other writers and thinkers in her time. McDermott's book makes a clear case that O' Connor's novels grow out of a way of looking at the world that did not belong to Georgia or Catholicism alone. For encouraging that wider context, this book is deserving of attention." - The Flannery O' Connor Society Newsletter

"In his painstaking study of the works of O'Connor and Wallant, two of a kind who never met, John McDermott leaves the reader with the insatiable desire to read all their books he [McDermott] has scrupulously examined. Nothing better can be said of an author." - Journal Of Notre Dame University

"The slim volume is extremely well researched and documented, with myriad quotes from critics specializing in the works of O'Connor and Wallant, plus several unique and pertinent observations by twentieth century Trappist monk and mystic Thomas Merton... Surely, this is an [positivist] illusion both Flannery O'Connor and Edward Lewis Wallant fought hard to dispel in their courageous works, all of which Dr. McDermott shares with academic precision and authentic presentation" - Book/Mark

"These themes are buttressed by a series of brief chapters analyzing the common techniques O'Connor and Wallant used in their work. For example, McDermott notes that both authors used elements of the gortesque and humor to illustrate their beliefs abut redemption and suffering. Two of a Kind is an interesting attempt to join two important American writers." - The University Bookman

"...McDermott's book is admirably straightforward and clear. It promises to use Wallant's four novels and O'Connor's two novels as the basis for establishing the two writers' "parallel" writing techniques and "vision of man" (ix)...this book should make readers aware of the commonalities underlying much of the serious literary fiction of the postwar era." - Studies in the Novel

"...McDermott's study of these two authors holds promise...[his] most notable observation occurs in a chapter on uses of biblical allusions, when he points to the irony that the Jewish Wallant makes a number of allusions to the New Testament while the Catholic O'Connor is drawn to the Old Testament prophets (42)." - Flannery O'connor Review

"Dr. McDermott has provided the reader with a unique book featuring two very similar writers but yet divergent each in his own way. It is an important contribution to American letters and should hold a secure place in the entire canon of American literary studies to the advantage of teachers and students." - Book Digest

"John McDermott's short Flannery O'Connor and Edward Lewis Wallant is a good instance of O'Connor as a 'one-woman academic industry.' McDermott.... discovers remarkable parallels in theme and treatment." - The Chesterton Review, Fall/Winter 2009

"This book might inspire others to reflect further on the authors’ similarities. The book shows the two writers certainly share some features in common, especially the presence of spiritual themes in their works." - Saint Austin Review