Overview

For fans of Kate Morton, Amy Harmon, and Sally Page comes a multigenerational novel infused with touches of magical realism about a woman’s journey to find her place in an uncertain world as she unravels her family’s legacy.  In 1934, a child’s death tears open a family and shakes the small town of Richarme, Louisiana. Recalling her grandmother’s hidden gifts that had been shut down decades earlier, Grace Paschal begins writing to her deceased daughter as she navigates grief and guilt for Lily’s death, which will haunt their French community for generations. In 2019, Alice, Grace’s great-granddaughter, awakens in her apartment in Berkeley and opens a jewelry box given to her decades earlier upon Grace’s death. When she explores its contents, the lines between past and present fade. As she works to meet the demands of her career, her life turns upside-down when new and frequent memories that aren’t her own rise to the surface—memories that cause her to question everything about the life she has chosen.  A haunting and magical story of a family with hidden gifts and secrets, Song of Belonging follows Alice as she embarks on a journey to discover the truth about her ancestors and find her place in a lineage of women healers who protect the waters that surround their Louisiana home.

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Table of Contents

Reviews

“Song of Belonging by Michelle St. Romain is a well-crafted, gripping, and powerful story of deep grief, discovery, healing, belonging, and connections to the past and future, to our ancestors, and to the natural world. This complex, multigenerational novel featuring magical realism and a bit of romance is a must-read. . . . Highly recommended.”—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review “. . . For readers who enjoy reflective stories about identity, lineage, and the ways we inherit more than just names and objects. By the end, I felt that the novel was gently asking me the same question it asks Alice: what do we do with what has been passed down to us?”—The American Writing Awards “Song of Belonging is a spellbinding novel in which voices of the past whisper secrets, love blooms in the present, and hope for the future is restored. Like ocean ripples washing over pebbles, Michelle St. Romain’s lyrical prose enchants and captivates as it sings of love, longing, and hope for the future of our oceans and ourselves.”—Jennifer Roberts, author of The Village Healer’s Book of Cures “Song of Belonging marks poet Michelle St. Romain’s luminous turn to prose, weaving a haunting story of family, memory, and the quiet power of women’s lives. Rich with atmosphere and lyric grace, Song of Belonging will captivate readers who cherish stories of family, mystery, and the binding magic of ancestral ties. Fans of The Book of Speculation and Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe will find themselves right at home in St. Romain’s evocative, soul-deep debut novel.”—Shelly King, author of The Moment of Everything “This novel is a tender, poetic examination of the precious gifts passed down in a matrilineal line. They are mysterious and powerful legacies to be honored and cherished.”—Louisa Morgan, author of The Faerie Morgana “Song of Belonging is a masterful exploration of connection—to nature, to our ancestors, to ourselves. The characters are revealed like slowly opening flowers, with layers of complexity unfolding through generations with heartbreaking beauty. This is storytelling at its finest: grounded yet transcendent, personal yet universal. A profound meditation on what it means to heed the call of both our lineage and our planet.”—Maressa Voss, author of When Shadows Grow Tall “Set along the rivers of Louisiana and the rocky California coast, Song of Belonging contains multitudes. A beautiful story of spiritual renewal and our connection to the past and the future, the natural world, and all the threads of the universe.”—Donnaldson Brown, author of Because I Loved You “Seamlessly weaving the past and the present, Song of Belonging creates a fully believable world where the voices of the grandmothers speak, magic happens, romance flourishes, and nature conquers. Readers will be enthralled all the way to the end with this compelling love story and with the struggle to save the planet by honoring the wisdom passed down through generations.”—Kathryn Williams, author of Rhino Dreams “Song of Belonging takes the reader on a magical journey. The connections between ocean cultures—from Louisiana to California and from Hawaii to Ireland—create an evocative backdrop to Alice’s story. She learns to be brave in the face of her destiny, leading her to find her inner compass as she unravels the stories of her grandmothers and others in her family.”—Laura Kealoha Yardley, author of The Heart of Huna “In the way that Willa Cather captures the soul of the prairie, Michelle St. Romain captures the soul of the sea—from the New Orleans bayous to the Pacific Ocean. Aptly titled, the prose in Song of Belonging is lyrical and rhythmic. A dual-timeline narrative with historical and contemporary stories, this book reminds us that if you take action, you can be part of saving our beautiful planet.”—Libby Gill, author of Malibu Summer   “Michelle St. Romain’s writing is exquisite, achieving a delicate balance between poetry and women’s fiction. This enchanting story about family gifts and secrets that are revealed like the tide being pulled back by the moon will have you charmed from the very first page.”—Kaylie Newell, author of The Moonshadow’s Daughter “Song of Belonging is as lyrical as its title suggests, flowing rhythmically as it explores the links between people and place across generations. As human beings, we all share an innate need to connect and belong, and Michelle St. Romain pens a compelling journey of connection and identity across past and future, inspiring purpose, healing, and vital connection to the natural world.”—Pam Breaux, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies “Intriguingly haunting dual story. Present-day Alice is tormented by visions from a mysterious maternal line of ancestral healers she cannot ignore, a power mirrored in her great-grandmother, Grace, who is drowning in grief after the tragic loss of her young daughter. As descendants of healing women who tend the waters, their lives unspool as potent, psychological journeys celebrating the profound wisdom of older women and the ancient trust required to embrace one’s destiny. A must-read for readers intrigued by the revelations spiritual guidance curates for us when we’re ready.”—Joan Fernandez, author of Saving Vincent “A hauntingly beautiful debut, weaving past and present in a seamless story of love, loss, redemption, and belonging. Highly recommended.”—Ashley Sweeney, author of The Irish Girl   

“Song of Belonging is a masterful exploration of connection—to nature, to our ancestors, to ourselves. The characters are revealed like slowly opening flowers, with layers of complexity unfolding through generations with heartbreaking beauty. This is storytelling at its finest: grounded yet transcendent, personal yet universal. A profound meditation on what it means to heed the call of both our lineage and our planet.”—Maressa Voss, author of When Shadows Grow Tall “Set along the rivers of Louisiana and the rocky California coast, Song of Belonging contains multitudes. A beautiful story of spiritual renewal and our connection to the past and the future, the natural world, and all the threads of the universe.”—Donnaldson Brown, author of Because I Loved You “Seamlessly weaving the past and the present, Song of Belonging creates a fully believable world where the voices of the grandmothers speak, magic happens, romance flourishes, and nature conquers. Readers will be enthralled all the way to the end with this compelling love story and with the struggle to save the planet by honoring the wisdom passed down through generations.”—Kathryn Williams, author of Rhino Dreams “Song of Belonging takes the reader on a magical journey. The connections between ocean cultures—from Louisiana to California and from Hawaii to Ireland—create an evocative backdrop to Alice’s story. She learns to be brave in the face of her destiny, leading her to find her inner compass as she unravels the stories of her grandmothers and others in her family.”—Laura Kealoha Yardley, author of The Heart of Huna “In the way that Willa Cather captures the soul of the prairie, Michelle St. Romain captures the soul of the sea—from the New Orleans bayous to the Pacific Ocean. Aptly titled, the prose in Song of Belonging is lyrical and rhythmic. A dual-timeline narrative with historical and contemporary stories, this book reminds us that if you take action, you can be part of saving our beautiful planet.”—Libby Gill, author of Malibu Summer   “Michelle St. Romain’s writing is exquisite, achieving a delicate balance between poetry and women’s fiction. This enchanting story about family gifts and secrets that are revealed like the tide being pulled back by the moon will have you charmed from the very first page.”—Kaylie Newell, author of The Moonshadow’s Daughter

""Song of Belonging is a masterful exploration of connection--to nature, to our ancestors, to ourselves. The characters are revealed like slowly opening flowers, with layers of complexity unfolding through generations with heartbreaking beauty. This is storytelling at its finest: grounded yet transcendent, personal yet universal. A profound meditation on what it means to heed the call of both our lineage and our planet.""--Maressa Voss, author of When Shadows Grow Tall ""Set along the rivers of Louisiana and the rocky California coast, Song of Belonging contains multitudes. A beautiful story of spiritual renewal and our connection to the past and the future, the natural world, and all the threads of the universe.""--Donnaldson Brown, author of Because I Loved You ""Seamlessly weaving the past and the present, Song of Belonging creates a fully believable world where the voices of the grandmothers speak, magic happens, romance flourishes, and nature conquers. Readers will be enthralled all the way to the end with this compelling love story and with the struggle to save the planet by honoring the wisdom passed down through generations.""--Kathryn Williams, author of Rhino Dreams ""Song of Belonging takes the reader on a magical journey. The connections between ocean cultures--from Louisiana to California and from Hawaii to Ireland--create an evocative backdrop to Alice's story. She learns to be brave in the face of her destiny, leading her to find her inner compass as she unravels the stories of her grandmothers and others in her family.""--Laura Kealoha Yardley, author of The Heart of Huna ""In the way that Willa Cather captures the soul of the prairie, Michelle St. Romain captures the soul of the sea--from the New Orleans bayous to the Pacific Ocean. Aptly titled, the prose in Song of Belonging is lyrical and rhythmic. A dual-timeline narrative with historical and contemporary stories, this book reminds us that if you take action, you can be part of saving our beautiful planet.""--Libby Gill, author of Malibu Summer ""Michelle St. Romain's writing is exquisite, achieving a delicate balance between poetry and women's fiction. This enchanting story about family gifts and secrets that are revealed like the tide being pulled back by the moon will have you charmed from the very first page.""--Kaylie Newell, author of The Moonshadow's Daughter

Author Information

Michelle St. Romain has been writing since she was a child. The coauthor of two poetry books, Promised Fruit and Water's Edge, she holds a BA in English from Loyola University, New Orleans, and an MA in Creative Writing from California State University, Sacramento. She grew up in Louisiana and has lived in California and Hawaii. She leads writing workshops, reads voraciously, and enjoys learning life lessons from two spaniels and a wise, aging cat. She currently lives in Medford, Oregon with her family.

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