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The power of the word is apparent when storytelling and creativity can manifest immense trauma and hurt into something of tangible value. Trippe does exactly this in her work, which is a stirring, often heart-wrenching rendition of magical realism that simultaneously keeps audiences on their toes with a compelling plot while driving to the root of a deeper point and a problem that is far more rampant than meets the eye.
While the story begins in the Colorado forests with a focus on Serena, a wood nymph who shares a direct connection with the Creator, it does not take long for her to indirectly sense her responsibility to protect Caroline Howard, an innocent child who symbolizes purity and all that is good in the world. On the surface of the narrative, the Howards project themselves as the prototypical church-going and God-fearing family, imbued with compassion and character. Digging deeper, however, cracks reveal themselves from the get-go with the patriarch, Bill Howard, demonstrating his dominance and defiant nature on multiple occasions, most prominently on his drinking escapades while the family is at church.
Structurally, the author does a commendable job of weaving the more surreal interactions between Caroline and Serena with the incessant trauma of Caroline’s home life. Caroline never truly fits in with her two sports-minded, wrestling-loving brothers, often feeling the pangs of isolation. While Caroline finds heartache with her family, she develops a unique bond with Serena, one where Serena imparts ancient wisdom and provides Caroline with a mentor whom she can seek in her time of need. It is through this hero’s journey structure that Trippe expertly conveys some of the most important elements of spirituality and its innate power for healing. For instance, karma is a word that is loosely thrown around but rarely understood. However, using creative mechanisms and figurative devices, Trippe conveys that only the Creator can judge, and every karmic action has a resonating reaction, though it may take time to reveal itself.
Through Caroline and Serena’s journey together, audiences become privy to a scintillating, thought-provoking discussion, one that ultimately reveals that Caroline has led many lives and even has a soul family. In the material realm, this leads to Caroline learning to shield herself from the devastating abuse levied upon her by her father and the even more soul-sucking denial of her claims by her mother. With Serena’s guidance, Caroline begins to grow in her earthly form, forming a relationship with her paternal grandmother that leads to significant ramifications and a needed ally, the protection that Serena referred to. As Caroline gets older, her trials only continue, sometimes appearing in the form of a lost part in a musical performance, and at other times, more sobering realities like having to pay her own way through college, even though her brothers had fully paid college tuition. Fusing spiritual conversations about chakras and the third eye with abominable acts of abuse and dehumanization, the author directly appeals to abuse victims to show them the pathway to healing their trauma. In many ways, Trippe is the Serena to the countless Carolines reading her work.
Through true narrative, the author engages with readers to help them understand that they are part and parcel of the Creator, that they have lived many, many lives, and that their purpose largely rests on how they interpret the notion of suffering, either as a choice, or a misdeed and atrocity done unto them. Seamlessly blending pertinent spiritual knowledge with an uncanny storytelling and character development ability, Trippe has created a piece of literature that is both insightful and enriching for one’s personal—earthly and ethereal—growth.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review