Praise for Supernova "The trust we build with others after trauma, one cosmic speck after another, can shatter in an instant. We learn this lesson early on in healing, yet negotiating trust as a fraught and imperfect process of becoming proves vital to achieving genuine intimacy. Often, we do not realize this until our sense of security explodes--hence the title of Patricia Leavy''s latest installment in the Tess Lee and Jack Miller series, Supernova . This might seem like a dark message from the hand of another author, but Leavy lends her characteristic warm light to this painfully relatable tale of trust disbanded and reformed. This fourth novel in the Tess Lee arc offers no fairytale endings, only stories we weave together from the rubble of what once constrained us. But isn''t that where the real power lies anyway, in our ability to build trust consciously and intentionally, and to place faith in ourselves throughout that process? We saw in earlier installments of this series how love is very much a verb. This time, Leavy shows us the true meaning of trust, perhaps the ultimate action word. It''s a very hopeful thing indeed.
" -- Alexandra "Xan" Nowakowski, Ph.D., MPH, Florida State University "What do you do when your life explodes? Tess and Jack''s relationship is put to the test in Supernova . In her latest novel, Leavy addresses themes of trust and communication, and explores whether a betrayal will tear everything apart. I couldn''t put this book down until I''d finished the last page. Supernova stays with you long after you''ve finished reading." -- Jessica Smartt Gullion, Ph.D.
, Texas Woman''s University "A powerful journey of love, life, and survival, Supernova finds Tess Lee and Jack Miller four years into their romance but face to face with past trauma. Weaving an intricate blend of humor, sadness, and joy, Supernova will grab you by the heart as you walk with Tess and Jack through the complexities of darkness and light that shape the contours of life." -- J. E. Sumerau, Ph.D., The University of Tampa "Just like its namesake phenomenon, Leavy''s fourth Tess Lee and Jack Miller installment, Supernova , is a tale that suddenly intensifies in brightness because of a catastrophic explosion that shatters the almost-ordered perfection of the world we have come to know. The central question here is whether love can be real if it is based on dependency.
We begin to see how each person who professes to love Tess does not really trust her in the most fundamental way, believing that her past traumas give them the right to protect her from unfolding present ones. The people on the edges of her life are the ones who truly trust her to be whoever she chooses to be, the ones who trust her constantly displayed strength. This is a story about learning to trust those we love, even when we want to shield them from pain, a novel about facing and recovering from trauma, of being a bystander, and accepting the darkest parts of those we love and ourselves. Written for multiple audiences, readers of Supernova cannot help but absorb its lessons about the true meaning of trust and the ways in which we must learn to heal so that we can be our best selves for those we love, while being willing to reveal our scars. A perfect choice for book clubs and summer reads, this story becomes an essential part of any college classroom in psychology, history, social work, sociology, or women''s studies/gender studies. But it''s also a great choice for those teaching criminal justice, forensic science, or intelligence studies. It''s a novel you desperately don''t want to end, but when it does, you''re left once again rewarded and sure that at least Leavy believes the world is filled with better people than we know." -- Melissa Anyiwo, Ph.
D., Curry College "Supernovas are space giants whose explosions leave behind both black holes and new stars. This title is the perfect metaphor for the newest chapter of Tess and Jack''s saga. Supernova tells the story of the time that comes after the honeymoon, when all the darkness of the past can no longer be ignored or stifled. Both Tess and Jack have to learn that the only way forward is through, through the pain, through the unfinished business, through the guilt and shame with which we torture ourselves, through the forces that can shift one''s perception of a relationship in the blink of an eye. This is the cosmic fight between light and darkness, and we see the parallel paths of Tess and Jack''s struggle toward the light and the descent into darkness in Tess''s parallel universe, her novel called Morning Sun . Patricia Leavy has achieved a new level of depth and wisdom, while maintaining the delight of love and friendship on every page. I started reading this book at noon and am writing this blurb before 5:00 p.
m. You will want to read it in one sitting, as I did, because it''s too good to put down." -- Eve Spangler, Ph.D., Boston College "With a cast of relatable characters and (un)fortunate situations, Leavy gives us another novel about the risks, rifts, and reconciliations we might encounter in our relationships. This is a creative and courageous text that interrogates the residue of abuse and trauma, provides key insights about resilience and advocacy, and offers important lessons about loyalty and self-transformation." -- Tony E. Adams, Bradley University "It has been my pleasure and privilege to read esteemed academic and novelist Patricia Leavy''s latest installment of Tess Lee novels.
These beautiful and powerful books explore myriad themes including relationships, kind-heartedness, integrity, courage, chosen family, pain, vulnerability, and the power of the arts to heal, challenge, expand, educate, and connect. This latest offering once again demonstrates Leavy''s long-standing expertise in arts-based research, together with her talent as an engaging, creative, and important writer. As before, this book gripped me, and I was once more unable to put it down. The texture of Leavy''s writing is so inviting, the characters so beautifully and completely drawn that I always feel as if I am in the room with them. A central motif in these books is the love story between Tess (herself a successful writer) and her Jack (a federal agent). Whilst Tess and Jack appear to have a transcendent love, it is very much grounded in the gritty realities of contemporary life and their own histories, some traumatic. Not to be sugarcoated, Tess and Jack''s love story endures sometimes harrowing events. Leavy skillfully creates a world in which we walk with her characters through their dark times as she explores vengeance and violation, but also love, forgiveness, and healing.
Indeed, the love stories in this series are multiple, with the core relationship supported by the love of friends, the love of art, and the deep satisfaction and restoration that can be found in creative practice. The themes and the narrative arcs in Supernova are important, ethical learning moments. Through pure aesthetic engagement and the experience of the reading, we are privy to the unconditional love of the central characters and the assemblage of their very fine friends. However, this book, like the others, is so much more than a fine example of chick lit. The symbolism is potent and the themes dark. There is deep trauma and its reverberating impacts--survival and healing, social justice, activism and advocacy. Wonderfully and generatively, all of these elements have the arts at their core, in all of the reconciliations and resolutions of the plot. This aspect is as powerful as it is beautiful.
I have been honoured to have read all the books thus far in this series, and with each, I glean important experiences and learnings. With Supernova , I have taken in the resilience of authentic love, the way vulnerabilities can make us strong, and that we might take control of the only thing we really can: our own decisions. This book is such a strong part of this lovely series. As always, I insist you read them all." -- Alexandra Lasczik, Ph.D., Southern Cross University "After reading the third installment of the Jack Miller and Tess Lee stories, Constellations , I found myself talking about Tess and giving advice to my students and colleagues as if each of them knew exactly who Tess Lee is. Tess''s journey and her love for humanity had permeated my very soul.
Having been given another opportunity to delve even deeper into their lives through the fourth novel in this series, Supernova , I could not possibly love this character any more. This is my favorite version of Tess; I needed this version of Tess Lee Miller. Supernova is a book that takes you on a journey of forgiveness, the forgiveness of self and others. Patricia Leavy has a way of guiding you through the dark night of the soul without even leaving your bed. Supernova forces the reader to come face to face with biases, triggers, and personal truths in a way that, if you are not paying attention, can shift entire paradigms." -- Renita M. Davis, LICSW, PIP, Troy University "Just when I thought I had found my favorite Tess Lee novel, Leavy''s Supernova had me glued to the page and the story of Tess and Jack. What do we do when we face the darkness in those we love? What do we do when those we love betray our trust? Tess and Jack show us that love is a muscle that we need to exercise and use if we are to see the light in one another.
Don''t miss the newest installment in the great love story we all need to read and learn to live." -- Sandra L. Faulkner, Ph.D., author of Poetic Inquiry: Craft, Method and Practice "Patricia Leavy is no stranger to the impassioned use of fiction as a way to write about the relational issues that pervade our lives. Her latest novel, Supernova , continues this writing streak as she c.