Drawn

Michelle De Freccio’s attempt at a normal life in England is shattered when her artistic talent unlocks a paranormal gateway. Her sketches consistently yield the image of Christopher Newman, a magnetic figure in medieval attire, who soon materializes at the local castle. This encounter pulls Michelle into a dual existence, straddling her contemporary world—with its pressures of a new school, a fractured family, and social scrutiny—and the perilous political intrigue of the 15th-century War of the Roses, where Christopher is embroiled. As her transitions between eras become more frequent and involuntary, Michelle grapples with the terrifying possibility that she is inheriting the mental illness that afflicts her brother. The boundary between visionary gift and psychosis blurs. In the past, she discovers Christopher is accused of murder, and her growing affection for him compels a dangerous intervention. Guided by a modern friend’s analogies to time-travel cinema, Michelle must navigate the ethical quandary of altering history, aware that every action in the past recalibrates her present. The narrative constructs a meticulous internal logic for its supernatural premise, defining clear rules for interaction across the centuries. This framework supports a plot rich with mystery and romantic tension, as Michelle races to clear Christopher’s name and prevent his destined death. The castle itself serves as a potent symbol, its stones saturated with memory and violence, binding the two timelines. Ultimately, the novel is a meditation on the permanence of love and the malleability of fate. It examines whether a connection forged across time can survive not only historical catastrophe but also the weight of personal legacy and sacrifice. The resolution offers a poignant commentary on how we are all drawn—by art, by history, and by love—to confront the ghosts that define us.