"The entire floor appeared virtually empty... On the wooden door was a hand-written note that read: 'Please enter.' She anxiously turned the knob."
Tesseract Configured by V.A. Ebeling Pier Avenue Publishing
book review by John Roper
During the span of a lifetime a person plays many roles. For example, a man might be a loving son to his parents, a faithful husband to his wife, a strong father to his children, and a valued employee to his company all at the same time. Ideally, these facets of identity work together harmoniously as we age, but sometimes the circumstances of our childhood cause us to grow up as fractured beings, people incapable of becoming who we were meant to be without some form of outside intervention. This psychological theme weaves its way through the narrative and brings added depth to Ebeling's genre-bending novel.
The book's main character, Stella, is a middle-aged woman who was raised in a loveless and abusive home. As a way of coping, she learned at an early age how to protect her true self from others by creating false yet positive personas for the different groups of people with which she would interact. Yet the fake Stellas she presents to the world have inhibited the full expression of the gifted individual she could become if she were to live authentically. Then one day she receives a confirmation call for a counseling session she doesn't remember making with an enigmatic man named Joshua. It is the first in a series of life-changing events that will begin to cause her carefully constructed facades to crumble.
Blending romance, suspense, and fantasy, the author has crafted a short, psychological thriller with an engaging heroine. Although the novel's story line and supporting characters are not as developed as they could be, the book still makes for an interesting and enjoyable diversion for a quiet evening.