As I watched Kathryn's face twist as she drifted off, I thought, Yes, this is good, and it is easy. Easier than anything I'd ever kn...
As I watched Kathryn's face twist as she drifted off, I thought, Yes, this is good, and it is easy. Easier than anything I'd ever known as an adult, and maybe would again. Of course, I didn't know or appreciate that then because I had no point of reference. In your twenties, it's easy to think most of your better days are still up ahead. But sometime around the point when you find yourself in a face-off with forty, time does a peculiar thing and unfolds at once, almost like a map, so that while you can see that you are no longer truly young and you are not yet old, it's quite clear that you will be very soon—if you're lucky.
So, writing this to you from that precipice, I will simply say: if you find yourself in an effortless position in life as I did beside Kathryn in bed that fall morning, enjoy it, but don't stop there. When something comes to you so easily, it may leave the same way, and you'll be left wondering if it ever was at all.
I've been a big fan of Camille Pagán's books after reading Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, which I reviewed back in September 2015, and this novel was no different - the author is great at revealing her characters, as well as their motivations.
Official synopsis:
When struggling novelist James Hernandez meets poet Louisa “Lou” Bell, he’s sure he’s just found the love of his life. There’s just one problem: she’s engaged to his oldest friend, Rob. So James toasts their union and swallows his desire.
As the years pass, James’s dreams always seem just out of reach—he can’t finish that novel, can’t mend his relationship with his father, can’t fully commit to a romantic relationship. He just can’t move on. But after betrayal fractures Lou’s once-solid marriage, she turns to James for comfort.
When Lou and James act on their long-standing mutual attraction, the consequences are more heartbreaking—and miraculous—than either of them could have ever anticipated. Then life throws James one more curveball, and he, Rob, and Lou are forced to come to terms with the unexpected ways in which love and loss are intertwined.
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So, writing this to you from that precipice, I will simply say: if you find yourself in an effortless position in life as I did beside Kathryn in bed that fall morning, enjoy it, but don't stop there. When something comes to you so easily, it may leave the same way, and you'll be left wondering if it ever was at all.
I've been a big fan of Camille Pagán's books after reading Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, which I reviewed back in September 2015, and this novel was no different - the author is great at revealing her characters, as well as their motivations.
Official synopsis:
As the years pass, James’s dreams always seem just out of reach—he can’t finish that novel, can’t mend his relationship with his father, can’t fully commit to a romantic relationship. He just can’t move on. But after betrayal fractures Lou’s once-solid marriage, she turns to James for comfort.
When Lou and James act on their long-standing mutual attraction, the consequences are more heartbreaking—and miraculous—than either of them could have ever anticipated. Then life throws James one more curveball, and he, Rob, and Lou are forced to come to terms with the unexpected ways in which love and loss are intertwined.
I could very much relate to this novel, and I'm betting that others will be able to as well ... there's always been that one person that either "got away" or that you had a mad crush on, but weren't able to do anything about it.
What was interesting about this book was that Lou and James do end up together, at one point, albeit very briefly ... and what happens next isn't your typical "HEA" (happily ever after), but it somehow works.
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