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Her Masks & His Truth follows a former television star struggling with infertility and a fraying marriage who meets a serene political canvasser, who leads her into a life-altering encounter with Christ. What was the inspiration for your story?
I have always questioned God and His existence. Who are we as humans? Why are we here on earth? What is the purpose of our existence? Why are there so many different explanations and theological contradictions in the world, and why has humanity yet to reach a consensus?
I have often wondered how humanity has progressed to such a high level of understanding in scientific theories, yet the idea of someone or something creating this world still perplexes us. Since I was a teenager, I have had questions about God. What distinguishes me from animals if all I do is eat, drink, sleep, reproduce, and eventually leave this world?
My achievements and education led me to become arrogant enough to refuse to even hold a Bible. Religious men and their man-made rituals made me despise the concept of seeking God. As the granddaughter of Armenian genocide survivors, born and raised in Lebanon, I became frustrated with God, wondering where He was to protect the 1.5 million Armenians who were martyred for their Christian faith in 1915—including the entire families of both my grandparents.
I developed a strong aversion to Jesus Christ, fueled by a combination of pain and resentment. The only information I heard about Him came from religious leaders who manipulated people through fear and ignorance. I refused to blindly obey or follow theological interpretations spread by religion, like a parrot controlled by fear and obligation, without ever truly understanding God’s character.
By coincidence, nearly three years ago, I met a Christian who followed only the Bible and refused to mix human traditions with biblical truth.
I was curious to learn what he believed. My curiosity led me to admire the Bible, which not only contained truth but also offered scientific explanations that engaged with the world’s science. Whenever I challenged the Bible, I found my questions answered within its pages.
I was surprised to discover that the Bible was ahead of its time, with prophecies that contained dates and specific mathematical revelations I could read, study, and comprehend. When I finally found answers to what had been tormenting me my entire life, I decided to share my newfound joy with the world.
My greatest surprise came when I began to learn about Jesus Christ of Nazareth as presented in the Bible—a figure who bore no resemblance to the characters portrayed in movies. I decided to stand up for the truth of the Bible and write my novel, Her Masks & His Truth. My hope is that it will encourage Christians who love Jesus to pick up the Bible and study it for themselves and also inspire atheists—just as I once was—to read the novel and consider my perspective, since I once stood where they are now.
My relationship with Jesus Christ inspired me to write this book—a relationship founded not on emotions, but on proven facts, logic, and understanding.
Jesus Christ is not only for Christians; He is for everyone. If He is meant for someone like me, then surely He is meant for all.
Jesus Christ is not complicated—people are.
The title suggests concealment and revelation. What are Anna’s primary “masks?”
Anna’s primary masks are two types, as you read in the story. The first type is the mask of arrogance she had worn as result of her new worldly achievements in North America after leaving her achievements in the Arab world. This time, starting from scratch and getting awards and being noticed in North America had made her so arrogant that she had been denying her writer’s block and not realizing that it isn’t about writing more books but about seeing what really is missing in her mind and heart—that is, knowing and understanding that not everything you need you will find where you are searching. The second mask was the mask of denial, based on biases and assumptions based on the shows she had witnessed in her life by people who claim to be sharing the word of God, who are religious men in whom she had seen nothing Godly, and also judgmental assumptions and bias for the truth of the Bible and the reality of who Jesus Christ is.
The novel moves between domestic conflict and doctrinal reflection. How did you manage those tonal shifts?
In my view, domestic conflict and doctrinal reflection are deeply intertwined. Our core beliefs—whether shaped by the Bible, personal faith, or even a rejection of faith—inevitably influence how we navigate family life, resolve conflict, and engage in debate. In the novel, Anna’s journey illustrates this connection: her understanding of biblical truth begins to shape her outlook, decisions, and relationships at home. Even when she was an atheist, that worldview formed the foundation of her domestic interactions. Ultimately, everyone lives from a central set of beliefs, whether consciously chosen or not, and these beliefs become the lens through which we experience both everyday conflicts and the larger questions of meaning and purpose. By showing how Anna’s doctrinal reflections impact her domestic world, the novel highlights the inseparable link between what we believe and how we live.
What do you hope skeptical readers take away from Anna’s story?
My novel “Her Masks & His Truth” invites readers on a journey of honest questioning and courageous self-examination.
Anna’s story is not just for skeptics, but for anyone seeking deeper meaning—atheists, the deeply religious, and those somewhere in between. Through Anna’s intellectual struggles and heartfelt doubts, the book powerfully explores how our beliefs—whether grounded in skepticism, tradition, or faith—shape our lives, our conflicts, and the way we see the world.
What makes this story compelling is its refusal to offer easy answers. Instead, it challenges readers to consider whether they are living by inherited rituals, unexamined disbelief, or a personal search for truth.
Anna’s transformation unfolds as she moves beyond skepticism and tradition, encouraging us to reflect on whether our beliefs are truly our own. The novel urges readers to go beyond surface-level faith or doubt and to ask the difficult questions that can lead to genuine understanding.
Ultimately, this book is for those willing to think for themselves and to step outside the comfort of the majority. It is an invitation to discover that the truth is not about conforming to tradition or rejecting faith, but about courageously seeking a personal relationship with what is true. Anna’s story will resonate with anyone who dares to ask, to seek, and to find. I hope that not only skeptics but also atheists and people who are very religious take away important points from the story.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
An unexpected encounter turns Anna’s world upside down.
It begins with a stranger, a globally recognized influencer and celebrity against whom she has long harbored resentment.
The story unfolds as Anna’s curiosity drives her to welcome him into her life, undeterred by the potential for intense criticism.
Anna’s uninhibited spontaneity, which led her to leave her successful career as a public figure in the Arab world to marry her beloved Joe, continues to be a recurring theme.
Although she has hated the stranger her entire life, she now starts loving him with all her heart, soul, and mind.
With unwavering courage, Anna feels compelled to bend her knee before the stranger. Yet now, she finds herself isolated and turning everyone against her, including Joe.
Anna makes yet another impulsive move and decides to become a bride for the third time. However, the price of being with the stranger means that she must leave behind her burgeoning lifestyle and thriving career in North America.
It’s a turning point. The burning question lingers: Is the stranger truly worth fighting for?
Her Masks & His Truth
Nataly Restokian’s Her Masks & His Truth opens on a jittery nightmare. Anna, a former television star now living in Quebec City, fears losing control of her own story, then settles into her real unrest: a love-marriage stretched thin by infertility, displacement, and a private hollowness she can’t name. When Simon Levesque, an older political candidate collecting signatures, appears at her door, their conversation becomes a hinge: Anna is drawn to his unbothered serenity, and his quiet certainty points her toward a meeting she thinks is with a man…until it becomes clear she’s being introduced to Christ.
What I didn’t expect was how insistently the book braided the domestic with the doctrinal. One moment, I was inside a marriage argument that feels granular and authentic, money, family pressure, language-barrier shame, the raw ache of failed IVF, and the next I was in a confessional rush of spiritual autobiography that speaks directly to the reader. That gearshift could have felt jarring, yet it often works because Anna’s inner life is already a storm: she’s performative, defensive, funny in flashes, and then suddenly pierced by a sharp sentence. The prose isn’t trying to be coy; it wants to testify, and there’s a kind of firm candor in that.
I also found myself appreciating the book’s portrait of pride as a costume. Success and beauty are masks that don’t quite suffocate you, but do keep you from breathing deeply. Anna’s history (celebrity glamour, a complicated past, a marriage forged in sacrifice) adds friction to the conversion arc beyond a simple “lost to found” template. Still, the narrative’s strongest scenes for me weren’t the big declarations; they were the smaller, human moments where love is messy but durable, Joe’s tenderness, Anna’s bruised humor, Simon’s patience that refuses to escalate into ego. The story’s faith-forward intent is unmistakable, but it’s most persuasive when it lets longing stay complicated instead of instantly neat.
I think Her Masks & His Truth is perfect for readers who actively seek Christian fiction, inspirational romance, faith-based contemporary drama, and redemption narratives, especially those who like spiritual mentorship threads and conversion-centered storytelling. It will likely resonate with fans of Francine Rivers’ emotional, testimony-leaning style (think the spiritual-romance sweep many readers associate with her work). Her Masks & His Truth is a tender and unflinching reminder that the most convincing rescue is the one that reaches the heart without flattering it.
Listening Length: 8 hours and 18 minutes
Masks
![Masks by [Restokian, Nataly]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51OVu2brr3L.jpg?resize=206%2C312&ssl=1)
Anna has always known she would be famous. She has always done everything in her power to get to her desired position professionally and on the societal hierarchy. She reflects back to her journey from atop her throne. It is colored with struggled and dark moments she would rather not let anyone know about. However, despite all her success and power. Despite her fame and beauty. Despite her acclaim and recognition. Something is missing in her life. Until she meets Joe. A rash decision will change the course of her entire life.
Nataly Restokian has written a book that is inspired by her life. She writes so vividly that you can feel the fear in Anna’s parents as they sell bread on war torn streets. You can feel the disapproval radiating from many around her as she makes decisions. You will also enjoy the love, support and admiration she gets for these same decisions. It is a tumultuous life Anna has led. You will every bit of her turmoil and urgent need to find that missing part. The author has done a good job of pulling the reader in to see Anna for who she truly is. To see into her heart and mind. To look past the fancy veneer and see the woman stripped of her façade.
Anna is a strong woman who defies all odds. She creates her own fate. Like she says- people are fans of public figures they see themselves in. In Anna you will see a part of your true self. It could be her grit or her bravery. It could be her commitment to be authentic. It could be her strength to face her demons. She is everyone we all wish to be. She is unscripted and unforgivingly frank. So much could be said about this one character almost as there is no one else in the story with her. The writer has done a truly marvelous job of sculpting the perfect heroine who also has flaws but will not shy away from them. The same dexterity has been applied to Joe with his charm and genuine personality.
This is a very intense story that touches heavily on feminism and crime against women. These are issues that plague the world right now. This book tells the story of a woman’s life from a society many might not understand but whose struggles are relatable by all women though perhaps not on the same level. The writer lends the story the seriousness and sobriety it requires for the message to be passed. The book is written in beautifully simple yet elegant language with a mild flair.
Pages: 256 | ASIN: B07BB6RMDS
Masks (AudioBook)
Anna, a woman who is lying her way through her marriage and relationship with her lover, is laying plans to meet another man, Joe. This man, with baggage of his own, desires to make Anna his prize. Neither of them is looking for a commitment–they have their own supposed committed relationships. Neither of them wants more than a night together, but they both feel the pull that is trying to keep them from ever separating. Anna’s life as a television host, and celebrity in her own right, serves to fascinate him in a way he can’t explain. Her life in Lebanon is one she herself can’t fully explain as she faces the end of what was supposed to be their only night together.
Masks, by Nataly Restokian, details the life of Anna, a highly successful young woman who has managed to make a name for herself in the world despite the challenges she faced growing up. She is outspoken, loved by all who watch her on television, still lacking something in her life. As hard as she has worked and as much as she wants to maintain her lifestyle, Anna can’t help but feel that all of her success has left her empty. Restokian is a masterful storyteller and manages to make Anna relatable and draws the reader into Anna’s fascinating life.
The main character’s history with her family is integral to her success–and her struggle. It is easy to see why Anna fights so hard to make a difference and to make her name synonymous with achievement. Readers will appreciate the description of her youth and her parents’ treatment of her. Many can relate to the sermons she receives from her overbearing mother and the difference Anna’s parents make between her and her sister.
Restokian’s book begins as a torrid romance and soon turns into a touching account of Anna’s past and how the decisions made by both her and her family lead her down a new path–one that she never saw herself needing. I assumed by the tone of the first few pages that Masks would be similar to other romance plots I have read. However, it was soon evident that Restokian took a different tone. The author does not use vulgarity to describe intimate scenes. Instead, she tastefully details touching and loving scenes between Anna and Joe.
I listened to the audiobook version of Masks. The narration is well-done and makes for an easy listening experience. Narrator, Nicole Rene, is adept at tone, making appropriate changes in dialogue delivery, and bringing the reader into the story-line.
Restokian’s work goes far beyond a romance. It speaks loudly and clearly about women’s rights, honor, and determination. Anna, the main character, stands boldly as both a victim of society and an example of survival and triumph. Masks is a must for anyone looking for a romance with an intellectual and poignant message. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Listening Length: 7 hrs 48 minutes | ASIN: B07YVM9TQW
Date to Speak Up
Nataly Restokian Author Interview
Masks follows Anna as she struggles to find herself and her love as she navigates the social, religious, and sexual taboos of the Arab world. Why was this an important book for you to write?
It had always been my dream to write novels, and I wanted to start my first book by being the voice of so many in the Lebanese and Arab society who pay the price of the social, religious and sexual taboos and never dare to speak up for themselves. If you had the chance to let the rest of the world read and find out about certain issues that people suffered from wouldn’t you write about them?
Masks is based on true life events. What were some things you felt had to remain true in the story and what were some things you took liberties with?
Though Masks is inspired by true life events yet it contains fiction, the part of the story that had to remain true is my own feelings and thoughts, this is a very hard question… well, I took liberty in writing about some facts but created characters that were the combination of more than one person in real life.
I understand that the story is based on your own life. Was there anything that was difficult for you to write about?
The story is partly based on my own life but I had to add fiction to the characters including Anna the protagonist in order to be able to write about so many things that I have heard, saw or lived, but then again it was not easy at the beginning. I had been thinking about starting this novel 8 years ago and I always hesitated because concentrating on my inner thoughts and to able to express fears and open closed doors was never easy. My husband, my family, and my friends supported me a lot. It is so strange that I really felt relieved when I put down my thoughts. As a journalist and a TV host, I always did my best to reach out to my readers and fans with messages that touched their hearts, I hope the characters in my book will be able to touch the heart of each and every reader and inspire them in many ways, I Hope…
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I already started writing my second book hoping it will be available within two years, it is somehow the continuation of Masks, though the first book has an end, the second book will talk about different adventures and taboos. Some characters from my first book will be in the second story but the readers will meet new characters with different problems and dissentious personalities.
I thank Thomas Anderson for this short yet interesting interview, the questions were few but very well chosen to satisfy the curiosity of any reader about the novel. I wish you a very prosperous career, I appreciate your time & work & hope to bring a change to my readers with the story of Masks.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
![Masks by [Restokian, Nataly]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51DoCwJwSWL.jpg?w=604&ssl=1)
Masks is a dark fictional tale, based on true-life events. It narrates the adventures of a young Armenian girl born in Lebanon in the seventies. She dreams of fame and power in Lebanon and the Arab world and shows resilience and motivation beyond her years. The novel delves into the world of the protagonist, Anna, who is surrounded by social, religious, and sexual taboos. She fiercely breaks the chains to enter the world she has strived to reach, in a seemingly conservative society barely emerging from a civil war. She builds her success on her remaining values, challenging her fate and sparing no way means to attain her goals.
As a disappointment to her parents, she walks the challenging paths alone, making her way toward fame and fortune despite lacking the support system to do so. Doors begin to open for her, and she enters the world of Arab celebrities. She is now a public figure in the Middle East, living an immoral married life in a materialistic world surrounded by influential business people and royal family members. She tries, in vain, to fill the void in her soul with sexual adventures and controversy by taking a wide variety of lovers. Her adventures invariably end in misery, doing nothing to awaken her from her numbness. Still, her vivid, out-of-control personality helps her move forward while simultaneously getting her in trouble. In the early stages of her life, she has suffered the unthinkable, being bullied and raped, with the civil war a constant backdrop throughout most of her childhood. The novel delves deep into Anna’s mind as she has flashbacks of the trauma she has suffered, offering the reader a hint of an explanation for her behavior.
In a society in which men dominate women, she is one of the few who realize that fashion, social status, plastic surgeries, and bright smiles are not the answer to happiness. She lives in a world where a girl is only worth as much as her virginity, where women do not dare to ask for a divorce, where the fear of retribution keeps them locked in a cage that is very rarely gilded.
As fame, money, and power slowly eat at her soul, the arrogant Anna falls in love with a total stranger—a young, single bachelor from Canada—after a night of secret passion. That is where the story begins to unravel as she returns home with a scandal in her back pocket, her eyes and ears and heart tuned to this man instead of her husband. Anna realizes that neither her marriage nor her achievements have ever made her happy, so she decides to throw it all away. The lies and deceit that fill the so-called glamorous life she has been leading are floating up to the surface, including her husband’s infidelity and the critical steps she has taken to reach the top.
Marriage, family, career—all destroyed to be united with the stranger. She starts a new battle, this time struggling to change her destiny for someone she barely knows, who lives oceans apart and offers her nothing except his heart.
She risks everything, turning her whole life upside down. Anna realizes that her happiness, inner peace, and love are found worlds away from her own, with someone she would never have expected to be her soul mate. Still, Anna’s sacrifices are not behind her, and the struggle has not yet ended, although she has found what she has needed all her life: redemption and unconditional love.
The stranger enigmatically hints at emotions in Anna that have been hidden for a long time behind the masks of her dark and shallow lifestyle.
The characters in the story are the voices of so many who do not dare to speak up in a world where social and religious standards openly chastise the very actions that behind closed doors have become the ultimate paradigmatic way of life.
Masks
Masks by Nataly Restokian is salacious from the very beginning. We’re brought into the story where two relative strangers are having a one-night stand, one married woman with a lover on the side! It may appear to be an adult erotica novel at first, but keep reading, this is only one of the many layers to the plot that got me hooked and kept me flipping pages.
The protagonist is a fiery but spirited female named Anna that is surrounded by the glitz and glamour of the television industry. She is beautiful and successful, with her own show that sets her up to be an icon to woman in her country. The background setting gives the story a more visceral feel as one goes through the story. Anna is confident, daring, unstoppable and vivacious, but she is also hurting, bitter and cynical. She puts on her masks, as props to keep up appearances, lest others take advantage of her. The story evolves quickly and picks up speed from the risque beginning. Anna’s pursuit of happiness takes the reader on an emotional ride through the dark side of fame and fortune.
The story takes place in different cities throughout the middle-east which give you the same globe trotting feeling that Anna must have felt. I’ve never visited any of these places so this all seemed magically exotic to me. The settings are genuine and natural and lend to the emotional turmoil of the story.
There is a fresh feel in the author’s approach as she has been a keen observer of the societal nuances of the region, and is able to express it in terms that I felt were original and thought provoking. People from the west are inundated with reports everyday in the media and news channels about the region’s political and economic turmoil and forgets completely about the people, as individuals, living their lives. Hoping for a better future, like Anna. That’s what I like most about this story, that it’s a human story that I could relate to, because sometimes we too wear masks. I admire this story because it casts the region and culture in a different light, one that is not a hot spot for terror but instead brings forth the spirit of resilience. The spirit that makes people persevere in the face of difficulties and yet still have a passion for life. People that are scarred by their past, but not a prisoner of it. I feel that Anna embodies this spirit. I was intrigued by the exotic setting, Anna’s complex character, and the twists and turns that the story took as she risked it all in her quest for love and acceptance. I highly recommend this book.
Pages: 221 | ASIN: B07BB6RMDS
Masks Book Trailer
Masks is a dark fictional tale, based on true-life events. It narrates the adventures of a young Armenian girl born in Lebanon in the seventies. She dreams of fame and power in Lebanon and the Arab world and shows resilience and motivation beyond her years. The novel delves into the world of the protagonist, Anna, who is surrounded by social, religious, and sexual taboos. She fiercely breaks the chains to enter the world she has strived to reach, in a seemingly conservative society barely emerging from a civil war. She builds her success on her remaining values, challenging her fate and sparing no way means to attain her goals.
As a disappointment to her parents, she walks the challenging paths alone, making her way toward fame and fortune despite lacking the support system to do so. Doors begin to open for her, and she enters the world of Arab celebrities. She is now a public figure in the Middle East, living an immoral married life in a materialistic world surrounded by influential business people and royal family members. She tries, in vain, to fill the void in her soul with sexual adventures and controversy by taking a wide variety of lovers. Her adventures invariably end in misery, doing nothing to awaken her from her numbness. Still, her vivid, out-of-control personality helps her move forward while simultaneously getting her in trouble. In the early stages of her life, she has suffered the unthinkable, being bullied and raped, with the civil war a constant backdrop throughout most of her childhood. The novel delves deep into Anna’s mind as she has flashbacks of the trauma she has suffered, offering the reader a hint of an explanation for her behavior.
In a society in which men dominate women, she is one of the few who realize that fashion, social status, plastic surgeries, and bright smiles are not the answer to happiness. She lives in a world where a girl is only worth as much as her virginity, where women do not dare to ask for a divorce, where the fear of retribution keeps them locked in a cage that is very rarely gilded.
As fame, money, and power slowly eat at her soul, the arrogant Anna falls in love with a total stranger—a young, single bachelor from Canada—after a night of secret passion. That is where the story begins to unravel as she returns home with a scandal in her back pocket, her eyes and ears and heart tuned to this man instead of her husband. Anna realizes that neither her marriage nor her achievements have ever made her happy, so she decides to throw it all away. The lies and deceit that fill the so-called glamorous life she has been leading are floating up to the surface, including her husband’s infidelity and the critical steps she has taken to reach the top.
Marriage, family, career—all destroyed to be united with the stranger. She starts a new battle, this time struggling to change her destiny for someone she barely knows, who lives oceans apart and offers her nothing except his heart.
She risks everything, turning her whole life upside down. Anna realizes that her happiness, inner peace, and love are found worlds away from her own, with someone she would never have expected to be her soul mate. Still, Anna’s sacrifices are not behind her, and the struggle has not yet ended, although she has found what she has needed all her life: redemption and unconditional love.
The stranger enigmatically hints at emotions in Anna that have been hidden for a long time behind the masks of her dark and shallow lifestyle.
The characters in the story are the voices of so many who do not dare to speak up in a world where social and religious standards openly chastise the very actions that behind closed doors have become the ultimate paradigmatic way of life.
