Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Barbara Linn Probst’s Roll The Sun Across The Sky, which is out May 13th 2025.

From the ruins of Egypt to the privileged life of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the story of a woman’s odyssey through the maze of love, loyalty, recklessness, and remorse, as the consequences of her acts ripple through the generations.

Approaching a milestone birthday, Arden Rice has seen it all: three marriages, hardship and wealth, choices she both regrets and defends, all fueled by the same fierce desire—to give her daughter the best possible life. At least, that’s what Arden tells herself.

But nothing is simple. Arden is haunted by her impetuous history, with its trail of damage and deception. Yet she’s finally made a life where she can be her best self—until the unthinkable happens, and a train engineer’s lapse in attention throws that life into chaos.

Secrets begin to unravel, and Arden finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew—along with her own role in shaping the disturbing person her daughter has become. As the stakes increase, especially for the vulnerable granddaughter who’s now in her care, Arden must face questions she’s spent a lifetime avoiding: Which acts define a person? Can someone be better than her worst acts?

For fans of dual-timeline and mother-daughter novels, a compelling story about a woman’s struggle to face her reckless history, with its trail of damage and deception, and her quest for the redemption that might still be possible.

From: THE SCARAB, 1977

Robert and I go to Deir el-Bahari early the next morning, before the sun has fully risen. Hatshepsut’s temple is a monument three terraces high, rising from the desert floor and set against the surrounding cliffs. According to the Egyptian patriarchy, a woman couldn’t be king, so Hatshepsut is depicted as a male pharaoh, with male attire and a false beard. I imagine her enjoying the power of her male persona as she sat on her throne, overseeing the construction of the great temple at Karnak and directing her lover—the architect Senmut— to create a monument to her glory.

Despite her achievements, Hatshepsut was erased by those who came after. Her name, visage, place in history—eradicated, even on her own monument. The toothless old dragoman who attaches himself to us points out carving after carving of the same scene. On the left is Anubis, jackal-headed god of the underworld, ready to welcome Hatshepsut to the afterlife. On the right is Hatshepsut, her face scratched out by loyal followers of subsequent pharaohs.

“Anubis,” the dragoman declares, as he points dramatically to each carving. “Anubis, okay!

Hatshepsut, kaput!”

After a while, Robert and I start chanting the refrain along with him, shouting Okay! And Kaput! The dragoman merely smiles his toothless smile and beckons us to the next wall. When we are ready to leave, he asks for baksheesh so softly that I don’t mind dropping the coins into his hand.

I picture Hatshepsut with Senmut, her lover, whose task is to carry out her wishes. And I picture Nabil, another architect. His olive skin, his beard. Not a false beard, but a real beard framing a man’s greedy mouth between my legs.

~~~

When we return from sightseeing, Nabil’s friend Samir meets us at The Winter Palace and presents us with passes to the spa, waving away our thanks. “We have a saying in Egypt. When you are a guest in my country, you are a guest in my home.” Robert presses his hands together with a bow that looks more Indian than Egyptian.

We relax in the sauna, steam room, and California-style pool, washing away the morning’s dust, then go back to our hotel. It’s early afternoon, the hottest part of the day, so we close the heavy curtains and sleep until six.

When I get up, I feel gritty and tense, as if I haven’t rested at all. The hours seem endless until we can meet Nabil for dinner. Finally, it’s ten o-clock, and we head back to The Winter Palace, where Nabil and Samir have secured a table on the patio. Samir’s brother is there too, along with his wife. Nabil has brought the scarab he told us about. He holds it in his palm—a blue-green oval, intricately carved—and explains that it stands for the human soul emerging from the mummy and flying to heaven to be resurrected.

“In ancient Egypt,” he tells us, “the scarab beetle represented rebirth. It was associated with Khepri, God of the rising sun. Just as Khepri reappears each morning, from a place of darkness, to roll the sun across the heavens, this little creature also reappears—from excrement, waste—to begin anew.”

Robert winces. “From excrement? Literally?” The wince annoys me. It feels prissy, feminine.

Nabil dips his head. The gesture is polite, with no tinge of irony. “The scarab beetle rolls its eggs in dung and pushes the ball across the ground, just as Khepri rolls the sun across the sky. Then, when it is time, the little ones crawl out and new life begins—transformed, resurrected, from what may appear ugly and worthless.”

He studies the scarab. “When the Egyptians saw the young beetles emerge, they concluded that the father was able to self-create, simply by injecting his sperm into the dung ball.

Inseminating it with his will.”

Nabil is speaking to me, surely, but I have no idea what he is trying to say. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck. The air is thick, heavy with heat.

Then Nabil shrugs. “A myth, obviously, but it indicated the scarab’s power over death. Such was its power, in fact, that a replica like this one would be laid on the place of the deceased’s heart, which was removed during embalming. This enabled the dead one to bypass the test of having his heart weighed at the final judgment. Under the scarab’s protection, the heart could not bear witness against him.”

“Hey,” Robert quips. “What about the beetle’s good and bad deeds?”

“Perhaps the beetle is incapable of both good and bad.” Nabil tosses the scarab my way, and I catch it. “What do you think?” he asks me. “To slip into heaven by replacing the human heart with a strange little bug that perpetuates itself and needs no other for its pleasure?”

I meet his eyes. “I don’t think it’s that easy.”

“No. Probably not.”

There is a long silence, and then I open my hand. Slowly, Nabil takes the scarab from my palm.

Samir signals to a waiter to bring a pitcher of lemonade and another of ice water for Robert. No citrus. The sister-in-law, a regal-looking brunette who reminds me of Frida Kahlo, gives me a veiled look. It means: I see what you’re up to. I look the other way.

Lanterns come on across the patio. I hear the splashing of evening swimmers. There is an orange three-quarter moon, a scattering of stars. Nabil drapes his arm across the back of my chair.

When we return to the hotel, Robert is the aggressive one. He pulls me on top of him, digging his thumbs into my hips as he thrusts into me. I do it again. I pretend he’s Nabil.

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Location, location, location is a well-known meme in real estate about the three things that matter most.

For a story, though, not necessarily. Sometimes, the setting is simply a container for the events, which would be just as compelling no matter where they took place. At other times, the setting is absolutely vital and we feel, when we read the story, that it could only have happened right there, in that very spot. The landscape, climate, even the architecture—right down to the light, heat, cold, noise, and sky—shape the lives and actions of the characters. That was certainly true for me when I was writing The Color of Ice, which is set in Iceland. I knew I wanted to write a story about a woman’s opening to passion, forgiveness, and redemption—and Iceland’s blue icebergs, waterfalls, and thermal fields showed me the way.

Every story takes place somewhere. Here are five that only could have taken place exactly where they did.

MIGRATIONS by Charlotte McConaghy

Haunting, gripping, huge in scale yet heartbreakingly intimate, Migrations takes the reader on a literal voyage from Greenland to Antarctica as protagonist Franny Stone sets out to find the last surviving flock of Arctic terns and follow them on their final migration to Antarctica.  The inner and outer voyages are perfect mirrors as the fishing vessel Saghani faces greater and greater peril, while Franny’s dark past catches up with her and she begins to unravel. Charlotte McConaghy’s book is a stunner—a perfectly-crafted blend of character, setting, and plot that’s impossible to forget.

DISAPPEARING EARTH by Julia Phillips

Another riveting novel, gorgeously written, part thriller and part ethnography—Disappearing Earth takes the reader deep into the little-known landscape and culture of the remote Kamchatka peninsula.  Weaving together the lives and perspectives of twelve women and girls in the months following a shocking crime, Julia Phillips offers a richly-drawn portrait of a complex region in a story that feels both unique and universal. It’s Kamchatka’s story too. Like Migrations, you won’t be able to stop reading until you come to an ending that feels both surprising and absolutely right.

THE ALL-NIGHT SUN by Diane Zinna

The “all-night sun” is Midsommar’s Eve in Sweden, where Diane Zinna’s novel is set—an evening when the sun never sets, no one sleeps, boundaries disappear, and light and darkness blur. The story opens with a description of Sweden that Lauren, the protagonist, can’t resist. She impulsively accepts an invitation from one of her college students to spend the summer in Sweden, a place of magic and mystery that will change her in ways she can’t foresee. A beautifully-crafted story, lyrical and dreamlike, The All-Night Sun is another glorious novel where setting is key.

EUPHORIA by Lily King

Leaving the northern ice and frozen tundra behind, we move to the lush, steaming jungle of New Guinea where Lily King’s novel—inspired by events in the life of iconic anthropologist Margaret Mead—is set. A love triangle that a New York Times reviewer called “a tale of competing egos and desires in a landscape of exotic menace,” Euphoria is about love, jealousy, ambition, cultural collision, and loss. Landscape is crucial in the sensory detail that imbues every scene.  The precision of King’s writing is a marvel. (And oh, that opening page!)

THE LAST ROSE OF SHANGHAI by Weina Dai Randel
Finally, we head north again, midway between New Guinea and Kamchatka, to Shanghai in the early days of World War Two. The Last Rose of Shanghai is a powerful love story about two people from vastly different backgrounds, but it’s also the story of two cultures, imperiled by the same war. Protagonists Aiyi and Ernest—and the city of Shanghai itself, like a third protagonist—must grapple with destruction, loss, and unwelcome change. Weina Dai Randel’s unique and beautifully-written novel, embedded in time and place, is one you won’t want to miss.

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Releasing on October 18th 2022, The Color of Ice is now available for pre-order.

“Exquisite” (Lisa Barr, author of Woman on Fire) and “utterly engrossing” (Katherine Gray, cohost of the Netflix series Blown Away), The Color of Ice will wrap you in its spell, all the way to its unforgettable ending . . .    

Cathryn McAllister, a freelance photographer, travels to Iceland for a photo shoot with an enigmatic artist who wants to capture the country’s iconic blue icebergs in glass. Her plan is to head out, when the job is done, on a carefully curated “best of Iceland” solo vacation. Widowed young, Cathryn has raised two children while achieving professional success. If the price of that efficiency has been the dimming of her fire—well, she hasn’t let herself think about it. Until now. 

Bit by bit, Cathryn abandons her itinerary to remain with Mack, the glassblower, who awakens a hunger for all the things she’s told herself she doesn’t need anymore. Passion. Vulnerability. Risk. Cathryn finds herself torn between the life—and self—she’s come to know and the new world Mack offers. Commitments await her back in America. But if she walks away, she’ll lose this chance to feel deeply again. Just when her path seems clear, she’s faced with a shocking discovery—and a devastating choice that shows her what love really is.

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Hi, Barbara! Welcome to The Nerd Daily. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’ve lived quite an eclectic life, with so many different careers! Here are some random facts that people might not know about me:

1. I’ve been a therapist, researcher, college professor, advocate for out-of-the-box kids, director of a nonprofit organization, elementary school teacher, and fulltime mom.
2. I’ve lived in a former jail cell, a former sauna, a former firehouse, and a cabin in the redwoods without heat. I now live on a dirt road off another historic dirt road in the lower Hudson Valley.
3. I published a book to help parents nurture, rather than try to “fix,” their quirky kids (When the Labels Don’t Fit) and ran groups under the title “This isn’t the child I dreamed of raising …” For many years, that was my passion.
4. I have a PhD in Clinical Social Work and have always loved to teach. I now volunteer as a mentor for newer writers.
5. In the course of my travels I’ve been inside a glacier, a lava tube, a monastery, and a mosque. I’ve seen the Whirling Dervishes, the Mona Lisa, the rain forest, the Outer Hebrides, the Venetian canals, and the Egyptian Sphinx.
6. I make a wickedly decadent chocolate cake and the best chestnut soup you’ll ever taste.

Through both Queen of the Owls and The Sound Between the Notes you focus on women who have families and are striving for a fulfilling career. Sometimes this means getting the right education, while other times it can be taking the leap to be seen. Personally, these are close to my heart because having kids changes our lives immensely and your books help me imagine that with more clarity. What are some things you have done to achieve a work-life balance?

I’m sure I would have answered that question differently at different points in my life—before I had kids, when I had small children, then teenagers, then an empty nest. I did have the privilege of being able to be a fulltime mom when my kids were small, and I totally loved it—just as I’d loved throwing myself 150% into my prior career (running a nonprofit).  When my youngest child started kindergarten, I went back to school to get an advanced degree in social work, but I did it part-time and really tried to be wholly wherever I was, no matter what role I was in. There’s a famous Zen saying:  “When I eat, I eat. When I sleep, I sleep.”  If you can do that, it’s a huge help.

Both of your books have used Arts as the career of choice for the protagonists. In Queen of the Owls, Elizabeth was studying a particular female painter and feminist art, while in The Sound Between the Notes, Susannah is a pianist. I found both to be well researched in the aspects of the professions. Apart from writing, what are some of your creative outlets?

It’s probably no surprise that I’m what they call a “serious amateur” pianist, which means that I study “seriously,” with an amazing teacher, but purely for my own interest. As a writer, I find it really helpful to have at least one other creative outlet that’s not based on words. I’m also a fairly serious cook, which I do think is an art form that uses flavor and texture instead of words or notes or paint

When I started reading The Sound Between the Notes, I expected it to be a little bit like Queen of the Owls, but I really appreciated how different the two books are. While both are about the main characters being comfortable with who they are, Susannah’s striving for answers related to her childhood, and feeling “enough” and happy with what she has added a dimension to her character. Why did you choose to put her in this situation?

An important theme for Susannah has to do with being “chosen,” as a way to validate her worth.  This is a theme for many adoptees—although, for sure, many people who were not adopted have a similar need, for various reasons that generally stem from childhood (there’s my therapist-self speaking).  I do have a passion for helping people understand the psychological impact of adoption, since I’m a mother by adoption—twice, in fact—but The Sound Between the Notes will absolutely resonate with people regardless of their connection to adoption.  I think we all struggle with the question of: “Am I good enough?” and “Should I strive for more, for whatever is still missing, or should I strive for acceptance and contentment?”  These are profound questions that everyone faces. Embedding them in a really good story—one that’s been called a “tour de force” filled with “twists and turns”—is a great way to evoke that search within oneself.

What does your writing process look like? Do you have a set of events in mind before you start writing or do you let them come up as you write?

What seems to work best for me is a kind of zigzag between something very analytical and something very intuitive and subconscious. By “analytical,” I mean that I do have a working overview right from the start—although it might change and always expands, especially in the middle sections. I stop at various points to think it through in a very systematic way. For example, I map out the emerging story in terms of major events, minor events that lead up to each peak, and minor events that occur as a consequence. That helps me to see the gaps, thin spots, and “unearned” shifts that I need to attend to. By “intuitive,” I mean that my best insights always come on their own—while I’m out walking, in the shower!  It’s that feeling of wow and of course.  I think of it as the two parts of my brain connecting.  I definitely need both!

What was the most challenging aspect of writing The Sound Between the Notes?

Every book has its challenges, but there were two things that were especially challenging for me in writing The Sound Between the Notes.  One was the task of navigating dual timelines, because each transition to the past—the supporting timeline—had to be natural and necessary, with something in the front story to serve as a portal. I tried to structure it in different ways, and eventually settled on Then and Now.

The other challenge was letting go of whatever was fueling my original image of Susannah. I’d gotten stuck on the idea that she was angry at both sets of parents, biological and adoptive, and I have to admit that she was pretty brittle in the early versions of the book. It’s no small task to see one’s protagonist in a completely different way, but that was what I needed to do! Not only in her attitude toward music, but in her overall attitude. Determined, yes, but also softer and more compassionate. When I was able to let Susannah relax and open—and when I understood that no one that angry could play the piano as beautifully as she was playing it—the story became what it needed to be.

What does a typical writing day for you look like?

There’s no typical, for me—partly, because I’m someone who refers spontaneity to routine, and partly because the writing process is so irregular. I’ve never been one of those “daily writing quota” people.  There are times when I’m totally immersed and will stay up very late working because whatever is happening just can’t be stopped. At other times, I agonize over a single page and then have to leave my desk and go for a long walk. In general, though, I work best in the early morning and late at night.  In between, it’s really important to me to get out and exercise other parts of myself, interact with people, have impressions of nature.

What advice would you give to a writer who has just released their first book? Are there any lessons you took from Queen of the Owls that helped make the road to publication for The Sound Between the Notes smoother?

What a great question!  One of the most important things I learned, the first time around, is that no one can (or should expect to) do every single thing that you might see other authors doing—podcasts, virtual book clubs, Instagram reels, etc.—so you need to focus on what you really like doing, because those are the things you’ll do well and will have fun with! Another important thing I learned is that this is a long game.  Each book will have its own life, its own timetable, and that can’t be predicted. I like to say that a book isn’t like a bottle of milk that will spoil in a week or two if it’s not consumed, but more like a bottle of wine that often gets better with age!

Turning to reading now, what are some books you love going back to?

I do love rereading my favorite books!  Among the ones that I’ve read more than once (and will probably reread again) are: Open House and Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg, The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve, The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, The Law of Similars by Chris Bohjalian, Saying Grace by Beth Gutcheon, and so many of Alice Munro’s stories.

Do you read books that are similar in themes to the ones you write? What would you recommend readers to read if they loved your books?

I do read books in the same genre, which I would call “upmarket” book club fiction.  People who loved my books would probably enjoy The Weight of a Piano by Chris Cander, A Drop in the Ocean by Jenni Ogden, Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok, When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal. and The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood, among others.

If readers could take one thing away from this book, what would you want it to be?

The most important takeaway, to me, is the search to balance the desire to do what I need to do, in order to fulfill myself, and the desire to do right by those I love. I use the word “search” rather than “struggle” or “conflict,” because I think it’s an ongoing question, something that’s always in movement—an essential part of being human.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I eagerly await your next book!

You can find more about Barbara on Amazon and at her website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

The post Q&A: Barbara Linn Probst, Author of ‘The Sound Between the Notes’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Susannah has not played her piano in a professional capacity for over fifteen years. The Sound Between the Notes begins with her auditioning for a solo position at a fundraiser and this opportunity to showcase her skills and play music in front of an audience has a drastic effect on Susannah because it feels like a second chance at the career which she gave up when she had her son, James. Though happily married, this concert has the possibility to open new doors and Susannah finds herself thinking about herself and the road to her success. I loved her from the start—her bold choice of music and her perseverance. Susannah is a brilliant pianist and The Sound Between the Notes is her story to find the source of her music, to fight to keep it and recognize in the process that her family still plays a huge role in what she does and who she is.

Content Notes: Memory loss, loss of loved ones, hereditary disease, adoption.

Thoughts on The Sounds Between the Notes

On Hard Choices

Our childhood has a profound effect on us, not just during, but also after. As we grow older, we start to process what happened when we were kids. As I was reading about Susannah’s journey to find her birth parents and growing out of the truths that she believed about them, I was reminded of myself in some ways. In anger, loneliness, and sorrow, it is easy to blame other people and take things personally. It’s hard to make peace with the fact that something happened the way it did and we had no control on it whatsoever. It takes time to make that peace and this was not something I was expecting to find in this book—Susannah’s birth and childhood history offered a unique dimensionality to Susannah’s character and spoke to how our parents, even when they are not there, shape us. This profound connection with the story made it extra special for me.

This also relates to how we will never truly know what goes on in someone’s mind when they make big decisions and more often than not, it becomes too late to ask. Susannah’s relationships with her birth mother, her mother, and her piano teacher were well done and the struggles of each of them were portrayed vividly. She only knew the parts of them that those chose to share and it was a good reminder of this fact of life.

On the Drive to Recognition

Music had been an important presence in Susannah’s life as she was growing up and it is a part of her decades later. She has grown up playing the piano and though she might not be a professional classical pianist, her love for the instrument shines through the story. Her parents knew she was talented, she had one of the best piano teachers in the area, and she bonded with her husband over her music. When her music is threatened and there is a possibility that she might not be able to play again, it is natural for her to want to fight for her musical ability and go to any extent to try to save it. She doesn’t know how much time she has and as a result, she pushes herself and wants to be recognized as quickly as possible before that chance slips away. This leads to a descend into not-so-logical decisions which only emotions and fear can justify.

I love how the author portrayed this desperation and tension. I felt for Susannah the whole time and though I did not agree with her every move, I have learned over the years, and more recently with reading In My Own Moccasins, that it is easier to judge and think we would make better decisions when we are actually not in the situation itself. When something truly happens, the stakes are high and we try to do what we can to the best of our abilities then. Susannah recognised the rift that she had caused as a result of her drive to have a shot at a career. Her struggles were realistic and believable.

On Writing and Storytelling

Having read Barbara Linn Probst’s debut novel, Queen of the Owls, it was inevitable that I would compare both the works. I loved how The Sound Between the Notes chooses to focus on a different journey of a woman to find her way to reconcile her dreams and her reality. The family situations are different, the stages in careers of the women are different, and the problems that they are tackling are also different. Barbara’s talent in creating relatable women characters and situations shines through. I love reading her books because they lead me to ponder what it would be like to embark on a new stage of a career with kids, and now I have two examples—doing a PhD with little kids in Queen of the Owls or becoming a classical pianist with an older child in The Sounds Between the Notes. Through the focus on arts in both books, I also recognised the need for a passion that transcends time. For these women, it was their research and music respectively. For me, it is my reading, staging, and writing and as long as I keep that creative outlet going and through it, a connection to myself, I will be okay.

Overall, The Sounds Between the Notes is an immersive read. I wanted to know what had happened to Susannah in the past as well as what would happen in the future. The switch in time was an asset and I loved the variety of relationships in the book. I highly recommend this book for readers of realistic fiction and those who like thought-provoking reads.

The Sounds Between the Notes is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of April 6th 2021.

Will you be picking up The Sounds Between the Notes? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

What if you had a second chance at the very thing you thought you’d renounced forever? How steep a price would you be willing to pay?

Susannah’s career as a pianist has been on hold for nearly sixteen years, ever since her son was born. An adoptee who’s never forgiven her birth mother for not putting her first, Susannah vowed to put her own child first, no matter what. And she did.

But now, suddenly, she has a chance to vault into that elite tier of “chosen” musicians. There’s just one problem: somewhere along the way, she lost the power and the magic that used to be hers at the keyboard. She needs to get them back. Now.

Her quest―what her husband calls her obsession―turns out to have a cost Susannah couldn’t have anticipated. Even her hand betrays her, as Susannah learns that she has a progressive hereditary disease that’s making her fingers cramp and curl―a curse waiting in her genes, legacy of a birth family that gave her little else. As her now-or-never concert draws near, Susannah is catapulted back to memories she’s never been able to purge―and forward, to choices she never thought she would have to make.

Told through the unique perspective of a musician, The Sound Between the Notes draws the reader deeper and deeper into the question Susannah can no longer silence: Who am I, and where do I belong?

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I love a scholarly read and Queen of the Owls by Barbara Linn Probst is that kind of a book. Elizabeth is a PhD Art History student, pursuing her research on the painter Georgia O’Keeffe while managing married life and motherhood. Her marriage doesn’t have the spark that she sees in other couples’ and when she gets an opportunity to not only get to know O’Keeffe’s work better by recreating it, she finds out something about herself and her sensuality. When the photos become public and the photographer, Richard, refuses to take them down saying they are his work, Elizabeth must decide how much her reputation and what people think of her matters to her.

Themes for Thought

Queen of the Owls is a captivating read about how academic work can blur into a personal experiment and what it means to break free of the perceptions and identities that society imposes on all of us – sometimes, the only way to be seen is to show ourselves.

Who owns the art: the model or the photographer?

Elizabeth’s dissertation focuses on the period in painter O’Keeffe’s life when she lived in Hawaii and her paintings underwent a dramatic transformation. In the attempt to understand this change, Elizabeth has to study O’Keeffe and her life holistically, looking at the times before and after Hawaii. This means digging deeper into the photographs that photographer Steinberg took of O’Keeffe.

When Elizabeth recreates these photos with Richard, the photographer from her Tai Chi class, she finds herself in a situation similar to O’Keeffe. Just like Georgia never wanted these photos to be made public, Elizabeth’s career and family life are threatened when Richard showcases them at a nearby gallery.

Though the reasons why O’Keeffe took part in those photos may be different from Elizabeth’s intentions, the consequences are still the same. Their reactions are similar and through this experience, Elizabeth gets to understand the painter better. Since she is also teaching a class about feminist art, Elizabeth also gets to discuss the idea of who owns the art: the model or the photographer? How much part of the work does the muse get in a painting?

Are we who we told we are?

One of the aspects of the relationships in this book that I really enjoyed was Elizabeth and her sister, Andrea. Both are starkly different and while growing up, Elizabeth was always the smart one and Andrea was the pretty and confident one who got everything she wanted. As the story progresses and we see the struggles in both their married lives, deep seated resentments about their upbringing are exposed.

The sisters grew up knowing their roles in their family and they are still stuck in those roles decades later. The fact that Elizabeth is smart and cannot make mistakes is often thrown at her because that is who her family wants her to be. In the process of recreating the photographs, Elizabeth confronts these roles and learns to break free of them. She learns to give herself breathing room to be who she is, not what others expect her to be.

Balancing the academic and home life

Through Elizabeth, I gained a glimpse into what it would be like to pursue a PhD (something I hope to do one day) while bringing up kids. A post doctorate dissertation is the stepping stone into tenure track positions and Queen of the Owls does a fantastic job of exposing the pressure of impressing the right people and keeping the academics on her committee happy. Though the profession may be sympathetic to missing events due to kids, graduate students are expected to step up and make a name for themselves. Whether it was making it to meetings with professors who only had set office hours or giving up library hours to placate the child throwing tantrums at daycare, I really appreciated this honest view of pursuing education as a mother.

Significance of the Owl

Throughout this story, there were a couple of references to owls and owlish behaviour but it was unclear to me why this was the title of the book. After reading up more about owls and their spiritual meaning, I found that owls are seen as messengers of change and represent wisdom. With her academic thesis as the driver, Elizabeth undergoes a massive change in her outlook of the world as well as herself, acknowledging what isn’t working for her anymore and what needs to change. At the end, she comes out a new person with a renewed spirit, reconnecting with the magic of life.

Conclusion

A well researched book that makes me question the choices that the main character is making is a book I always enjoy. Queen of the Owls is a book that provided ample opportunities for discussion, looking not just into the personal and ethical dilemmas of the situations but also questioning bigger ideas around art, feminism, and ownership.

Queen of the Owls is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of April 7th 2020.

Will you be picking up Queen of the Owls? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

A chance meeting with a charismatic photographer will forever change Elizabeth’s life.

Until she met Richard, Elizabeth’s relationship with Georgia O’Keeffe and her little-known Hawaii paintings was purely academic. Now it’s personal. Richard tells Elizabeth that the only way she can truly understand O’Keeffe isn’t with her mind—it’s by getting into O’Keeffe’s skin and reenacting her famous nude photos.

In the intimacy of Richard’s studio, Elizabeth experiences a new, intoxicating abandon and fullness. It never occurs to her that the photographs might be made public, especially without her consent. Desperate to avoid exposure—she’s a rising star in the academic world and the mother of young children—Elizabeth demands that Richard dismantle the exhibit. But he refuses. The pictures are his art. His property, not hers.

As word of the photos spreads, Elizabeth unwittingly becomes a feminist heroine to her students, who misunderstand her motives in posing. To the university, however, her actions are a public scandal. To her husband, they’re a public humiliation. Yet Richard has reawakened an awareness that’s haunted Elizabeth since she was a child—the truth that cerebral knowledge will never be enough.

Now she must face the question: How much is she willing to risk to be truly seen and known?

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