The Light on Horn Island
In Valerie Fraser Luesse’s earthy Christian novel The Light on Horn Island, women heal from grief as they rekindle their hopes in a bayou town.
Edie is in mourning, while Charlotte, a family friend, never recovered from losing a potential love match during 1969’s Hurricane Camille. In Mississippi, both women stay with Edie’s grandmother, whose energetic friends lift their spirits. They all play a Victorian parlor game in which players respond to insightful questions; it comes from a book that an antique shop owner gave Edie in a moment of foresight. Meanwhile, Edie’s high school flame, Cole, reemerges as Edie accepts a part-time job cataloging Hurricane Camille photos for an exhibit.
Amid these potent entanglements and busy attempts to rebuild her photography dreams, Edie grows from a young woman who is plagued by self-imposed guilt into one who reawakens to other people’s care. Together with Cole, she revisits her favorite spots; their romance is a sweet second chance. And plentiful Cajun-infused food brings Edie back to her roots, creating fresh occasions to further explore the parlor game’s challenging prompts about regrets and happiness.
As Edie basks in the coastal comforts of her grandmother’s home, the other women’s stories teach her about resilience. Working through the hurricane photographs inspires her to widen her views about God’s mercy, even in tragic circumstances. Such lessons spring forth with somewhat transparent candor, guiding Edie’s acceptance of her pains and spurring her to help Charlotte. Through this vulnerable medley of lives touched by the past, people’s relationships strengthen—with a little guidance from the mysterious antique shop proprietor.
Love encourages women to move forward in the cozy novel The Light on Horn Island, about life-sustaining friendships.
Reviewed by
Karen Rigby
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
