The Flowers of Trauma
Ron Morin has put together an impressive novel that deals with the experience and the concept of trauma, as experienced through Nazism, the German occupation of France, the Vichy régime, collaboration, and of course the Résistance. Its literary architecture is amazing, with its combination of story-telling, verse and prose poetry with philosophical reflection and meditation.In sum, the book is an awe-inspiring experiment in poetic-philosophical narrative.
Review by Gene H. Bell-Villada – the author and editor of a dozen books, including Art for Art’s Sake & Literary Life; On Nabokov, Ayn Rand, & the Libertarian Mind; García Márquez:The Man and His Work; and a memoir, Overseas American: Growing up Gringo in the Tropics, as well as two books of fiction. He is the Harry C. Payne Professor of Romance Languages at Williams College.
Ron’s writing takes the reader through tragedy with a focus on strength and purpose. Not dwelling in the wounds but rather rising up with courage and confidence. This book is a quick read and not at all what you might expect. Read to the end and find the glory hope can bring!
Karen C.
In his profound and intricately woven novel, The Flowers of Trauma, Ron Morin presents an exploration of grief that is as harrowing as it is hopeful. By juxtaposing six interconnected lives touched by vastly different forms of loss—from Holocaust survival to the AIDS crisis to prison violence—Morin constructs a powerful testament to the universal architecture of sorrow.
At the heart of this tapestry is Sarah, a woman whose lifelong dream of teaching shatters when she is confronted with the raw, self-doubting traumas of her students. Her collapse is a pivotal moment illustrating the book’s core thesis: that healing stems not from the avoidance of pain, but from its direct confrontation. As Sarah’s carefully constructed foundation of “shoulds” washes away, what emerges is something more authentic—a lesson in “the humility of not knowing, the grace of asking for help.”
Morin’s strength lies in his character-driven approach. Each narrative thread follows an individual as they identify, reconsider, and ultimately come to terms with a revised meaning for their life. The novel shifts the focus from mere survival to the harder, work of thriving again. Through literary allusion and spiritual reflection, Morin suggests that love and forgiveness are active processes of rewriting our own histories.
One of the novel’s most striking passages encapsulates this transformative spirit: “Your sister made her horrifying experience beautiful through the enchantment of her personality… She was a poem to tragedy!” Here, as throughout the book, there is the assertion that even the deepest wounds can be woven into something new and meaningful.
Packed with poignant moments of discovery, The Flowers of Trauma is a challenging but essential read. Sensitive readers will find themselves moved to tears and deep consideration, potentially reawakening them to their own journeys. It is a book especially needed in difficult times, laying bare the vulnerabilities of the human heart while steadfastly affirming its resilience.
Librarians and booksellers would do well to highly recommend this novel not only to those navigating grief, but to anyone seeking to understand the arduous, transformative path from loss to renewal. Ron Morin has crafted a work of significant insight, reminding us that even in the aftermath of the storm, growth remains possible.
Diane Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
If Pain Could Make Music
Review by Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
How does an adult recover from the legacy of sexual abuse as a child during the 1950s when such events were not acknowledged? If Pain Could Make Music follows the revelations of Lemeilleur, a young man who comes to the slow realization of the lasting impact of his sexual abuse and trauma, and the limited options he has for working past the pain of his discoveries.
Lemeilleur’s experiences read like a biography, incorporate the pain and passion of fiction, and capture the efforts of a young man whose goal is to “stop feeling bad about his life.”
As he forms relationships, struggles with sexual offers and the emotions they spark, and tries to feel a love that he knows he should harbor but can’t quite touch, readers receive a thought-provoking tale of anguish. This might trigger some who also struggle with past abuse, but will enlighten most about the special nature of this kind of healing journey.
Ron Morin peppers Lemeilleur’s explorations with thought-provoking growth insights:
“…words were nothing in themselves. Until words rang with truth they are nothing but harlequins out to thwart their master. He had to start over again. Mice had loved him, and Lemeilleur hadn’t FELT it!”
Awakening to feelings sparks a wellspring of unacknowledged emotions that compel Lemeilleur past the books that have provided him with both foundations and boundaries.
“Would Lemeilleur end up like Mice: paralyzed in a fear so great love was forever locked out?”
Few novels address the specter of male sexual abuse, much less the impact of such abuse taking place during times when sexual abuse was barely acknowledged; much less by men.
Libraries and readers looking for passionate, heartfelt novels that capture personal and community crisis alike will find If Pain Could Make Music a powerful study of the impact, healing, and fractured results of abuse.
Other Reviews of If Pain Could Make Music
“I am a family medicine nurse practitioner and I’ve often asked myself that question. So many TV shows are about maniacs who are driven by some deep and dark trauma—it’s almost a cliché. Now comes along “If Pain Could Make Music”—it’s an acclamation of resilience. I really liked this book. It’s very funny, very gritty, and very poignant, and probably timely given the trauma the country is going through right now. We can’t give up.” – Denise D.
“Loved this book! Compelling from the first page!!! The author created a provocative journey of the main character while educating, stimulating, entertaining and surprising the reader in the most delightful way. Thank you, Mr. Ron Morin. We want.more!” – Shelly P.
“Mr. Morin does not mince words. In this gritty novel his lead character, Lemeilleur, like Dante, takes us through hell, purgatory, then to heaven where he beholds the roots of beauty are our values. What a book for these times where values are shoved aside in the quest for power. Five stars!!!” – John T.
“In “If Pain Could Make Music” Ron Morin give us a thoroughly entertaining journey through the life of Lemeilleur. His central figure encounters a fascinating cavalcade of characters, engaging with them in a variety of sexual and emotional entanglements, which are the substance of the book. All are struggling to extricate themselves from the confusions of youth, family trauma, and the squalor of working class life in New Bouville.
This fast paced story is deepened and enlightened by layers of literary allusions. A rich and involving read!” – T.O.G.
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Reviews of A Second Innocence
A Second Innocence follows the isolated lives of four individuals who have very different ways of hiding from the world—and themselves. At first glance, Raphael who becomes a priest, Daphne who serves a twenty-year sentence for murder, Jordi who is an artist of moderate renown, and Angela who has epilepsy caused by an inoperable tumor seem to have little in common. But as shared perspectives and experiences draw them together, readers receive a story of flawed individuals who grow into a new, more positive awareness about the world and their place in it.
The opening lines of the prologue succinctly condense what each of these characters represents, however differently they appear:
. . . not sure what went wrong; they only knew when it went wrong, and they wondered if their underlying fear had been what caused the problem in the first place.
The mirror Anne and Bill hold up to themselves after they summon the courage to tell their twenty-one-year-old son Raphael that he’s adopted shatters their world. In reaction, Raphael flees to Europe. New truths and revelations will resonate in the lives of Angela, Jordi and Daphne when they interact with Raphael’s natural goodness.
The “second innocence” referred to in the title evolves from a new acceptance of flawed people and lives that nonetheless hold riches beyond limitations and ugliness.
There’s no better time for A Second Innocence to appear than now. With varied themes of murder, depression, death, and emotional entrapment, readers might initially think the story will be difficult to absorb emotionally. However, within with these conflicts and confrontations lies discovery, hope, and redemption:
In the heat of my hope for grace, the grief in my heart began to thaw.
The result is an unexpected journey towards different forms of belief that ultimately prove fulfilling.
Filled with diversity, different forms of anguish and revelation, A Second Innocence is compelling reading that will reach all kinds of audiences and book club discussion groups with its message of optimism against all odds. It is highly recommended as a path to hope in a world of postmodern angst.
A Second Innocence discovers its strength in building an emotional experience that leads to the overall feeling of grace.
Review by Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
I just finished your book – I flew through it one page then another so quickly. Loved the theme of love throughout all the tragedy. Love the ending. Sad yet comfortly heartwarming. Great story with characters that jump from the pages into the readers heart. Perfect blend of hope, mystery, family and love with a twist of adventure and romance. The title is a perfect introduction to what reader are about to experience. Bravo my friend – I loved it! 👏❤️ – Karen