Now that we have settled into another West Virginia winter, there’s often nothing more comforting than curling up with a blanket, a warm cup and a good book. If you find the time for one of those moments – and I hope you do – I’d encourage you to explore the world of Terrebonne, a debut novel by West Virginia author Robin Elaine.

Explore the world of Terrebonne, a debut novel by West Virginia author Robin Elaine.

The book’s subtitle describes it as the story of a broken woman’s soul transcending time to find healing in 1856 Louisiana. As such, fans of historical or time slip fiction will be hooked after the first few chapters, but I believe the author’s real audience are those broken souls who can understand something of the loss felt by the story’s main character.

The slower pace of the book’s first chapters… takes a turn when Isaac disappears from a Crawley antique store…

A hand-scrawled journal entry opens the book with the kind of raw, authentic voice you’ll come to expect from these pages: a widow pleading with God to raise the dead. When her prayers go unanswered, Karla’s pain morphs into a simmering anger that is tempered only by the presence of her beloved nine-year-old son, Isaac. The slower pace of the book’s first chapters, which set the tone of the heavy fog that has settled over their lives, takes a turn when Isaac disappears from a Crawley antique store and sets Karla on her journey through time to wrestle her son back from a God who has already taken so much.

What she finds on the other side, of course, is not for me to tell, but suffice it to say that it involves a cast of delightful characters, cricket concertos, corsets, chasing rainbows and dancing in the rain. Most of all, Terrebonne delivers on its promise of healing. If you are someone who has been through this sort of loss, it’s my hope that you will find something of what Karla does as you take this journey with her.

The best news? Terrebonne is available on Amazon…

The best news? Terrebonne is available on Amazon in both ebook and paperback formats. You will also have a chance to meet the author and purchase this book in downtown Lewisburg on Friday, February 4th (during first Friday) at Sheena Pendley Design & Photography. Sheena Pendley says she is thrilled to host this event as she did the photography featured on the book cover.

– Ashley Adkins, HashtagWV #139. February 2022.