Irene Sandell, author of the award-winning book, “The House on Swiss Avenue,” spoke at the Lakewood Library Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 15.
Sandell is a local historian, retired history teacher and author of historical fiction. She has written “River of the Arms of God,” “In a Fevered Land” and most recently, “The House on Swiss Avenue.”
“River of the Arms of God” and “The House on Swiss Avenue” were finalists for the Willa Literary Award honoring outstanding literature featuring women's stories set in the Western United States.
Sandell shared with the group attending the library that she had always wanted to be a writer, long before she wrote or made that desire public.
“I also love old houses,” Sandell said. “And one always finds its way into my books as one of the characters.”
Having lived in historic East Dallas for the last 25 years (my own house is celebrating its 100th birthday this year), I, too, love old houses and understand their sense of character and personality.
The old house in Sandell’s latest novel, though now long gone, stood on the lower end of Swiss Avenue toward what is now the edge of town and was owned by the Henry Boll family.
Of all of Dallas’ colorful history, Swiss Avenue, with its elegant residences, often conjures memories of wealth, romance and mystery— all the right elements for a story.
“I think several things draw us to Swiss Avenue. Old houses hold the stories of families. I think each house has a personality all its own imprinted by the people who dwelled there. So there is a mystery when we see the house, and it makes us curious. Swiss Avenue is even more so because of its connection to the European background of its original settlers. It’s the mixture of frontier roughness and old world charm that catches our interest” Sandell said.
Many residents of early Swiss Avenue had a colorful beginning in Dallas. They had made their way to Texas to become a part of La Rénuion colony. La Réunion was founded in 1855 by Victor Prosper Considerant. It was intended to be a socialist utopian community, inspired by the teachings of Charles Fourier, who advocated communal production and distribution for communal profit. Located near the forks of the Trinity River, it was made up of French, Belgium and Swiss colonists.
The premise of the constitution of the colony was that everyone shared equally in work and in reward. However, that theory does not always pan out as planned, and eventually the community failed.
With its demise, some of the colonists returned to Europe, but many of the skilled craftsmen and artisans populated the eastern area of Dallas and built the houses birthing the stories that made Dallas such a fascinating city.
The House on Swiss Avenue weaves a tale of Adeline Sinclaire, who in the twilight of her life, is looking to save her historic family home on Swiss Avenue, and Robyn Merrill who comes to Dallas for a new job in a new city, hoping to find a new life away from the tragedy she suffered in Atlanta.
The house brings the two women together as they unveil skeletons in the closet, make peace with the past and embrace the future; all elements of a good book.
Writing seems to be the dream of many people, so I asked Sandell what words of inspiration she has for those wannabes.
“Don't give up on your dreams. However, know that writing is a very hard job. Write what you feel strongly about, not what someone else thinks might be the next big seller. If your heart is not in your writing, it will show. Find your interest, find your voice (in your writing) and even if you never sell, or sell big, you will enjoy the ride. Writing is like tossing pebbles in a pond. You don't know how far the ripples will travel,” she said.
“Once it is written down, your words might live forever.”