A kind of love
Greenhouse in historic village of Zoar, Ohio (Sairs).
What it’s about
Sophie is a historical interpreter in Zoar, an Ohio village founded in 1817 by German Separatists, a radical religious group fleeing persecution. Her capacity for getting lost in other people’s stories has a downside: “I say that I always know who I am, but that’s not true. I can get confused.”
When she falls in love with Daniel, who portrays her historical husband, she finds focus: “I look at him and see myself, my real and present self, reflected in his eyes.”
That reflection blurs when the historical site shifts its 1842 timeline to 1862, and a new interpreter, Michael, plays Daniel’s role. Sophie is drawn to him and doubts her love for Daniel. She wonders: Did I fall in love with you, Daniel, or with the person I thought you were? And what do I do now?
The timeline change also spotlights the Civil War’s impact on Zoar. The Separatists were antislavery pacifists, but some of their young men ran off to fight for the Union, exposing cracks in the community.
Sophie, Daniel, and Michael work with Charlotte, a Black interpreter, to tell a deeper, truer story about the Separatists, racism, and America, examining who we say we are.
In my novel, 19th century Germans reveal their struggles, and contemporary interpreters embody those stories, trying to be honest. Their work is an act of love.