This is the book cover for my new book, He Talks To Me, Too.
This is a story that draws upon the literature of bildungsroman, a journey about the character and moral development of a young person. It also is based in sentimental literature, where the heroine is tested, like Job was in the Old Testament. The fundamental problem that the girl has is that when she goes swimming and her body gets wet, her head grows to ten times its normal size. When two young gentlemen visit her and tell her about an island that is like heaven, she and her mother want to go there very badly. However, people who become members of the island must memorize the Handbook of Policies and Procedures. On page 29 of this manual, it details the diameter of a person’s head that is permissible on the island. Catherine’s head is too large. She is therefore considered unworthy by the island’s leaders. When she gets wet, her skin becomes a darker colour. She also becomes massively overweight. Throughout the book, she tries to convince the leaders, through the principles of the island, that she is worthy and belongs on the island. However, they do not believe her, in spite of much evidence that she is right. Their treatment of her leads to her spiritual destruction, in a shocking and tragic conclusion, but she reaches the bottom of her spirituality, and realizes that her only option to maintain her sanity is to focus on good, regardless of what her eternal reward turns out to be. The story asks the questions, “Do we need to be part of an organized religion to be spiritual? Do we need to go to a particular place of religious worship before we can have a deep relationship of God? Does God love all His children equally, regardless of the exact nature of their religious faith?” This is based on a true, but fictionalized, story.
I hope you like my book cover, and the book itself! The first part of the book, as a free sample, is available elsewhere on my site: https://jaclynhollandstrauss.com/my-writing/canadiannorth-american-culture/
