By Kerry Chaput
This woman is a force.
This female protagonist, Isabelle, enters the page with a razor intensity fueled by rage and pain that simmers relentlessly under the surface, ultimately spilling over with lightning force. Written in present tense, this historical fiction drama sits upright on the page from Sentence One and never takes its foot off the accelerator.
Here is physical power honed by wisdom in the form of Naira, a wise female warrior. Here is sexual power as its wielded over a weak husband James whom Isabelle does not love and fruitlessly attempts to goad him into overcoming cowardice. And here is the power of memory and its resulting wash of revenge and persistent determination to do right by victims.
Set in “New France” Quebec and Paris, this extraordinary drama brings to life the horrific slaughter of the Catholic church against the Protestant Huguenots in the 16th century. Isabelle seeks to do her part to rectify and save her Huguenot people. Strap in. It’s a charged ride.