Have you ever had to leave everything behind because someone else made a decision for you? Someone else’s calling became your upheaval. That’s Princess’s story.
The Girl Who Lost Home
Princess is a young Native American woman living on the Chaldean Indian reservation with her family: her sister Mickie, her brother Louis, and her Uncle Nate. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s hers. She knows these people. She knows this land. She knows who she is here.
Then one day, her husband Abe tells her they’re leaving permanently. God spoke to Abe and gave him a promise, a calling, a vision for their future. And Princess? She has to pack up her entire life and follow him into the unknown. She gets no conversation with God. She gets no promise whispered in her own ears. She gets no choice. She just has to trust and walk.
“I felt like I lost a part of myself”
There’s a moment in Barren where Princess is saying goodbye to everything familiar, and she says: “I felt like I lost a part of myself the last time we left… We’re leaving for good… I won’t see Mickie or her baby or Uncle Nate again… I don’t know if I can do that.”
Can you hear the grief in those words? This is loss. Princess is being asked to leave her identity, her community, her sense of belonging, all because Abe heard from God and she didn’t. She’s leaving behind her sister, her brother, her uncle, and the only home she’s ever known.
And honestly? Some of you know exactly what this feels like. Maybe you’ve moved schools because your parents got a new job. Maybe your family relocated and you had to leave your friends behind. Maybe someone else’s dream became your displacement. Maybe you’ve had to follow someone else’s calling and grieve your own life in the process. That’s why Princess’s story matters.
The Biblical Sarai: The Woman in the Shadow
If you know the story of Abraham in Genesis, you know God called him to leave his homeland and go to a land God would show him. It’s one of the most famous faith stories in the Bible. But here’s what we often forget: Sarai had to leave too.
Genesis 12:1-5 tells us that God spoke to Abram. Sarai is absent from the conversation. She gets no promise. She gets no vision. She just has to pack up and go.
For centuries, we’ve celebrated Abraham’s faith. And we should, because it’s remarkable. But what about Sarai’s faith? What about the woman who followed a man who followed God, trusting that somehow, this would all make sense? What about the woman who lost her home, her family, her entire world, without ever hearing God’s voice for herself?
Princess’s Journey Begins
In Barren, I reimagine Sarai’s story through Princess. She’s a young Native American woman whose life is uprooted when Abe receives his calling. She leaves the reservation, her family, and everything she knows to travel through Texas in an RV, heading toward a promise she never heard.
This is the first book in the Margins of Genesis series, where I take the forgotten and marginalized characters from Genesis and bring their stories to life in contemporary American settings. Princess is more than “Abraham’s wife.” She’s a woman with her own grief, her own questions, her own journey. And over the next few weeks, I’m going to introduce you to her story. It’s a story of displacement, betrayal, survival, and ultimately, being seen by God.
A Question for You
Have you ever had to leave home because of someone else’s decision? Maybe it was a parent’s job transfer. Maybe it was a spouse’s calling. Maybe it was a situation beyond your control. What did it cost you? And how did you find your way through?
I’d love to hear your story in the comments. This is a space for honest conversation about faith, loss, and the courage it takes to follow someone else’s dream when you’re still grieving your own.
What’s Next
Next week, I’ll share more about Princess’s journey and what it’s like to live in an RV, constantly moving, searching for home. We’ll explore the tension between Abe’s certainty and Princess’s uncertainty, and what it means when “home” becomes a moving target.
If you want to follow Princess’s full journey, subscribe to this newsletter. You’ll get weekly insights into Barren, behind-the-scenes reflections, and discussion prompts for your book clubs. And if you’re ready to read Princess’s complete story right now, Barren is available here:
Get your copy of Barren: – Amazon (also available on Kindle Unlimited) – Barnes & Noble
About the Margins of Genesis Series
Barren is Book One in the Margins of Genesis series. It’s contemporary fiction that reimagines the forgotten biblical characters from Genesis in modern American settings. These are raw, honest explorations of faith, survival, betrayal, and redemption. Because the people in the margins? They have stories worth telling too.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for making space for Princess’s story. I can’t wait to walk this journey with you.
Elizabeth Simon
Lizard Books LLC
Southwest Florida
P.S. If this resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear Princess’s story. And comment below, because I read every single one.
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