Portraits of the Heart Books in Order

The Portraits of the Heart novels turn early‑twentieth‑century photography into the frame for a deeply personal coming‑of‑age story. Inspired by Jane Kirkpatrick’s own grandmother, the books follow Jessie Ann Gaebele, a young woman in the Midwest learning to see both art and herself more clearly.

In A Flickering Light, fifteen‑year‑old Jessie leaves farm chores for a job in a Minnesota portrait studio. She falls in love with light, lenses, and the dangerous chemicals and flash powders of the trade, discovering that her eye for detail and business sense rival any man’s in the shop.

The work also pulls her into emotionally charged territory. Jessie’s admiration for her married employer becomes a testing ground for conscience, family loyalty, and faith. Gossip in town and tensions at home force her to ask what it will cost to pursue a vocation few people think fits a young woman.

An Absence So Great picks up Jessie’s story as she travels alone to operate studios for owners sidelined by mercury poisoning. She negotiates leases, hires help, and builds a client list in unfamiliar towns, gaining the independence she once only dreamed about. Yet the shadows of earlier choices linger, and a forbidden affection refuses to stay buried.

Across the two books, the series explores how images can capture truth while also hiding it. Jessie’s growing skill with the camera mirrors her slow, sometimes painful ability to name what she wants, to reckon with regret, and to trust that grace can meet her in ordinary storefront rooms.

Readers step into a world of glass plates, tripods, and Sunday dresses, but the heart of the series is timeless: a young woman wrestling with calling, desire, and the risks of stepping out from behind the lens.