Karen Barrow
Historical Fiction Writer
Karen Barrow is an award-winning author of historical fiction whose debut novel, Palmyra, won the Whistler Independent Book Awards for Fiction in 2024. She is known for crafting immersive, atmospheric stories where history, mystery, and romance intertwine.
Drawing on a love of travel and research, her work transports readers across time and place—from the lush, shadowed landscapes of the Caribbean to the storied halls of Moorish Spain—bringing the past vividly, and often hauntingly, to life.
Her growing body of work includes Palmyra (2024) and Dreams of the Alhambra (2026), along with short fiction, personal essays, and a travel blog—each shaped by her enduring fascination with history, culture, and the complexities of human connection.
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Published Spring 2026
Two lives. Two centuries. One journey of discovery, love, and resilience.
Dreams of the Alhambra follows a modern Canadian student seeking healing in Spain and a 15th-century Moorish princess facing betrayal and ambition—two stories intertwined across time in a richly layered tale of history, romance, and intrigue.
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Published Spring 2024
Described as Caribbean Gothic suspense, Palmyra unfolds on a remote cocoa estate in Trinidad, where the arrival of a charismatic young stranger sets in motion a haunting chain of events with repercussions that echo across generations. Blending coming-of-age storytelling with atmospheric mystery, the novel—told through the eyes of a perceptive eleven-year-old boy—explores family secrets, betrayal, and the dangerous cost of ambition.
Winner of the 2024 Whistler Independent Book Award for Fiction and a finalist for the Guernica Prize, the Page Turner Awards, and the Eric Hoffer Award.
Praise & Reviews
for Dreams of the Alhambra
A rare talent
This was a great pleasure to read; I loved the déjà vu and dream premise
T Therien, Editor
Your mix of a present-day travel story with a historic, folkloric romance is really compelling
Aimee Ashcraft, Brower Literary and Management
Praise & Reviews
for PALMYRA
Palmyra is a well-written, intricately plotted and fast-paced novel, definitely a good read, which more than justifies its subtitle
Bridget Brereton, Prof. Emerita of History,
University of the West Indies
A high drama, high atmosphere 19th century novel, Palmyra can best be described as Caribbean Gothic.
Adrienne Kerr, Executive Editor, Simon & Schuster Canada
Praise & Reviews
for other projects
Evocative and transporting
Daughter of Zanzibar: The one author who keeps springing to mind is M.M. Kaye, whose novels were really sweeping and wonderful - a bit like Michener, except with a romantic, female focus and a tighter time frame - and no one's really filled that niche since.
Leslie Wainger, formerly of Mira Imprint, Harlequin
Daughter of Zanzibar: The writing is engaging, the idea is appealing and you write with real energy and imagination.
Felicity Blunt, Agent Curtis Brown
What readers are saying about Palmyra
I am buying a plane ticket to Trinidad. What an enjoyable read - filled with emotion, heartache, and family strife, and yet I couldn't put it down
The author's pithy writing style lays
a trail of clues and red herrings to
keep you engaged for that element
of surprise
I absolutely loved this book! The descriptive language was incredibly beautiful - I felt like I could truly feel every sensation with all 5 senses
The richly worded prose, dramatic layers and research details within Palmyra quickly captures your curiosity and builds to a suspenseful crescendo
I finished reading it in one sitting! The scenery and characters come to life and it hits all the gothic marks
Other written works
Fall of the Feminine
Four personal essays on the decline of the feminine principle and the rise of patriarchy. Inspired by research before and after a trip to view the wonders of ancient Egypt, when I learned that for 3000 years, ancient Egyptian women enjoyed a level of equality similar to that of 21st-century Westernized women. Thus began a journey to better understand the age-old dynamic between the feminine and the masculine—specifically, the history behind the fall of the feminine.
Edge of Reason
A Short Story
A hot summer night. A raging bonfire. A carousing group of drunken teenagers. All fuel for the rage that rips through Miguel's heart as two silhouettes merge against the shadowed rocks. How far will he go to exact his revenge?
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TRAVEL BLOG
Confessions of a Travel Junkie
Too much world, too little time (and money!)
Unveiling the Writer
Growing up on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, Karen's happiest hours were spent with either her head in a book or a pen in her hand. Knowing that the bohemian life of a writer would never receive parental approval, Karen journeyed to Canada to pursue other studies. It was not long before a chance encounter with a geology student ended with raising a family in what at times felt like the far reaches of the country. During several moves, which included a delightful sojourn in Brisbane, Australia before finally settling in the Greater Toronto Area, Karen honed the life of a professional student in search of what she always wanted to be ... a writer. After 16 years in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) during which time she developed her writing skills and wrote two novels, Karen and her husband moved west in 2021 to settle in the beautiful Okanagan region of interior British Columbia. There she finished her 3rd novel, Palmyra, that was begun during the initial disquieting months of the pandemic, which undoubtedly contributed to the brooding nature of the story. With an unrecognizable accent and many a stamp in her passport, Karen considers herself a global citizen.
News
Dreams of the Alhambra — Coming Soon
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Two lives.
Two centuries.
One story across time.