Beyond a Thousand Words: A Novel

Coty Fine, an American photographer, and Laurent Sabatier, a French priest, are on a truck leaving Hanoi in 1954. Coty is trying to repair the bond between her daughter, Jette, and her granddaughter, Evelyn, who travels to Vietnam to locate a nun, Sister Lan, and invites Matheo Aubert, a visiting priest from Gabon, to move into her home as a guest during his reluctant sabbatical. Coty must secure Jettes permission to share a revelatory photograph with Evelyn to heal the rift in her family and her own wounds from the past.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 10 October 2023
Publisher: SparkPress

As the tumultuous year of 1954 unfolds in Vietnam, American photographer Coty Fine finds herself hurriedly departing Hanoi on the flatbed of a truck. Alongside her is a French priest named Laurent Sabatier, a man who would irrevocably alter the course of Coty's life.

Fast forward to the present day, Coty finds herself grappling with the delicate task of mending the fractured relationship between her daughter, Jette, who is often absent due to her widowhood, and her only grandchild, Evelyn. At Evelyn's urging, she embarks on a journey to Vietnam, determined to find a nun named Sister Lan, whom Coty has never met but has been haunted by for many years. Evelyn successfully persuades Sister Lan to accompany her back to San Francisco, where Coty extends an invitation to Matheo Aubert, a visiting priest from Gabon, to stay with her as a guest during his reluctant sabbatical.

These two clerics, albeit unwittingly, become central figures in Coty's intricate plan to heal the rift within her family and address her own deep-seated wounds from the past. However, achieving her goal hinges on securing Jette's long-held permission to share a revelatory photograph with Evelyn, a photograph that holds the potential to transform everything. Coty's daughter, like her mother, is a formidable woman, and she proves to be a formidable obstacle in Coty's quest.

As the story unfolds, tensions rise, secrets are revealed, and the true nature of relationships is tested. Coty and Evelyn must navigate a complex web of emotions and motivations, all while trying to heal the wounds of the past and forge a new path forward. Through their journey, they discover the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the enduring bond of family.

Weight: 446g
Dimension: 140 x 217 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781684632220