A Gathering Place

A luminous story of faith and resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans-where one woman rebuilds hope, one act of grace at a time.

"An entertaining and poignant addition to the post-Katrina canon of New Orleans stories. A Gathering Place takes us inside a loving family, complete with inter-generational drama, joyful and tragic memories, and delicious Lebanese food. The author takes on some complex racial and socio-economic dynamics, wrapping them into a lively and sometimes madcap plot with tenderness, music, and poetry."

-Elisa M. Speranza, author of The Italian Prisoner

When 81-year-old Blue Hamieh-a devout Lebanese Catholic-hears the Virgin Mary's voice to create a "gathering place" in New Orleans, she walks away from everything-her Mississippi home, her family's pleas, and all common sense.

It's 2009. Katrina's wreckage still scars the Gulf Coast as well as the city of New Orleans. Blue spends her life savings on a collapsing building in one of the Big Easy's most desolate neighborhoods, determined to turn it into a café that will unite three fractured communities. But crime, poverty, and underlying racial tensions close in fast. Thieves lurk in the shadows. Deep-rooted distrust threatens to divide rather than unite. And her own family-convinced she's lost her mind-plots to take her back home by force.

As her memory begins to slip, Blue is running out of time. To finish what she believes is a divine mission, she'll have to defy everyone who doubts her-and face down a city that may never be ready for her dream.

Vicki Salloum's gripping novel is a powerful story of faith, resilience, and the courage to rebuild when the world says it's too late. This is a story for all whose lives have been touched by natural disasters and devastating personal loss-and for all women who face ridicule in their quest to do what they believe is right.

Praise for A Gathering Place

"Vicki Salloum's A Gathering Place is a sophisticated multicultural family saga following the life of Blue-an elderly lady full of tenacity and passion as she follows a voice she heard from the Mother of God to rebuild a community. Using the remnants of memories after Hurricane Katrina to construct a future of love and a sense of place where all are welcomed, Blue is on a journey of faith and conviction. Filled with spirituality and holy dreams, Salloum writes to provide hope for all in overcoming obstacles and struggles of every size, giving a soul to these pages. All it takes is just one person. Blue."

-Shome Dasgupta, author of Cajun South Brown Folk

"Vicki Salloum celebrates her heritage and her beloved city of New Orleans in this engaging story of Aunt Blue, a woman driven by faith and a mission: to revive a lost corner of post-Katrina New Orleans. With skillful prose, vivid characters, affectionate humor, and a page-turning pace, A Gathering Place shines a light on the cultural gumbo that is New Orleans."

-Carolyn Perry, author of For Better, For Worse: Patient in the Maelstrom

"Mississippi native and resident of New Orleans, Vicki Salloum has magically woven her Lebanese Catholic family's colorful roots and traditions into a wonderful piece of literary fiction in her novel, A Gathering Place. Filled with hope and redemption, A Gathering Place will capture your heart."

-Susan Cushman, author of John and Mary Margaret and Tangles and Plaques: A Mother and Daughter Face Alzheimer's