Welcome to Île de Ré: Introducing The Summons’ Rich New World

Photo by Radek Kozák on Unsplash

What happens when a life collapses so completely that the only way forward is to start over — not with certainty, but with surrender?

This is the question at the heart of The Summons: A Call to Love, a novel that opens in the shadow of despair and unfolds into a story of quiet transformation, intergenerational healing, and the enduring power of love. In this post, we’ll explore the novel’s evocative setting and its three central characters: Noel, Catherine, and Colette. No spoilers — just a glimpse into the rich world that awaits.

Noel “El” De la Mare: A Life in Freefall

Noel begins the story at her lowest point. Once a promising journalist, she’s been fired from her small-town Indiana newspaper, her talent eclipsed by alcoholism and rebellion. Her dishonorable discharge from the Navy and a violent confrontation with her mother — a rigid Southern Baptist whose shame over Noel’s sexuality mirrors Noel’s own — leave her cast out, alone, and adrift.

Then comes a letter. A first-class ticket to France. An invitation from a great-aunt she’s never met. With nothing left to lose, Noel boards a plane to La Rochelle, arriving at Île de Ré Airport. From there, she travels to the quiet village of Laleu, where her great-aunt Catherine awaits — and where everything begins to change.

Laleu: A Landscape of Renewal

Though Noel arrives in the 1990s, Laleu feels untouched by time. The village holds the quiet charm of an earlier century — a place where the past lingers in every stone wall and shuttered window. The air is rich with the scent of salt and lavender, and the rhythm of life is slow, deliberate, almost sacred.

She walks cobbled lanes beneath ancient plane trees that have stood for generations, their branches casting dappled shadows on limestone cottages with faded blue shutters. Lace curtains sway in the breeze, and the sound of church bells marks the passing hours. In the gardens of Catherine’s estate, the soil is dark and fragrant, the roses bloom in tangled abundance, and the silence is deep enough to hear your own thoughts.

Laleu in the 1990s is not a relic — it’s a living memory. For Noel, it feels like stepping into a dream she didn’t know she had. It’s a place where healing begins not with grand gestures, but with the quiet dignity of daily life.

Catherine Noel De la Mare: The Keeper of Stories

Catherine, Noel’s great-aunt, is a woman of quiet strength and layered history. She’s lived through war, scandal, and heartbreak — and emerged with grace. Her invitation to Noel is more than an act of kindness; it’s a lifeline. Catherine offers Noel a place to live, a job editing her memoirs, and a chance to reclaim her story.

Through Catherine’s eyes, we glimpse a past shaped by privilege, persecution, and resistance. Her life is a testament to resilience — and her love for Colette, a defiant act of courage.

Colette La Vigne: The Heart of the Home

Colette, Catherine’s partner, is grounded, fierce, and deeply compassionate. Her presence is both stabilizing and transformative. She teaches Noel how to live again — not through lectures, but through action. Cooking, tending the garden, navigating the local markets — these become acts of healing.

Colette’s own story, rooted in wartime resistance and personal loss, mirrors Noel’s in unexpected ways. Together, the three women form a triad of kinship, courage, and reclamation.

The Summons: A Call to Begin Again

At its core, The Summons is about answering the call of your own heart — especially when it’s buried beneath shame, silence, or sorrow. It’s about the ties that bind us across generations, the healing found in truth, and the quiet bravery it takes to begin again.

Noel’s journey from Indiana to Île de Ré is not just geographical — it’s emotional, spiritual, and deeply human. And it’s only just beginning.

Thanks for reading. In my next few posts, I’ll begin exploring the novel’s deeper themes — identity, memory, and the legacy of love. If you’ve ever felt lost or longed for belonging, this story might just be your summons too.

À bientôt.