Julie Kibler employed a tried and true story builder in her novel, Calling Me Home. "Forbidden Love" is a constant in literature, but in this case, Kibler added a twist. The love story took place in 1939 but the story line is contemporary. The main character, Isabelle, is a 96 year old woman who tells us over time about how she fell in love when she was 17 years old with a black man in her southern home town. The love of her life,Robert, married Isa secretly but their joy was short-lived. They were torn apart both literally and figuratively by Isabelle's family. The southern hatred of their black citizens was difficult to understand, but the resulting carnage was understandable. Secrets, fears, prejudices and mistrust worked to tear the families apart. The interesting twist that Kibler employed was in juxtaposing Isabelle's story in flashback style between chapters set in the current time. Near the beginning of the story we are introduced to Dorrie, Miss Isabelle's hairdresser, but we quickly see she is so much more than that. Little by little we see that Dorrie is more like a daughter to this older woman and because of this connection she is the one to help Isabelle find closure with her long lost love, Robert. This is a story that forced self reflection. It is impossible to read the novel without feeling the injustice of prejudice. Kibler explained that she had learned that her own grandmother had had a romance with a black man many years ago. The implications were clear when she heard her grandmother's story. Love was not enough. Society would not allow such a romance and it was just too impossible for two people to stand against the status quo. Kibler created her narrative, perhaps, so that we have the opportunity to learn and to change.
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