I recently read Cheryl Anne Gardner's The Kissing Room, a novella of only 16K words.
The Kissing Room is hardly a light, cheery romance for a Sunday afternoon; rather, it is a dark, disturbing story which threatens to repel the reader with its brutal honesty, while compelling him to read on for the resolution.
Consider yourself warned-if you dare to sample the first page, make sure you're in a comfortable chair.
This fast-paced story alternates between what happens next and what happened before, and fluctuates between gentle, romantic, or bittersweet moments and truly ugly, stomach-churning scenes of violence and despair.
Even the nastiest situations are not described graphically or in lengthy detail, however, but neither are they for the faint of heart.
The Kissing Room is told in the engaging, first person voice of Merle, a woman whose short life has already seen too much tragedy, making her wizened and weary beyond her years.
While the reader may not agree with her choices or even understand her reasons for making them, it is impossible not to sympathize with this character and want to see her prevail.
The character of Lain was less likable, but that did not seem important to me; I was rooting for Merle, and if he made her happy, that was all that mattered.
The Irish pub setting of the story is unique and authentic, with both the language and the details bringing it to life.
I could always see and feel the story happening as though I was a participant, rather than some disconnected voyeur.
The only time I was thrown off was when the point-of-view temporarily shifted from Merle to Lain for a brief passage near the end.
I understand why the author did this, but for me, it was disruptive.
Fortunately, I was so caught up in wanting to learn the ending, I just ignored it and went on.
Certainly, The Kissing Room is not a "beach read" with its violence and macabre themes, but I don't mean to imply that you will not enjoy it.
I read the book nearly straight through, and only stopped because of an unavoidable interruption.
I hated having to put the story on mental hold, and then resumed it as soon as I could-I just had to see how it would end.
When it is all said and done, Cheryl Anne Gardner's The Kissing Room is a deeply touching love story; you just won't know it til it's over.
The Kissing Room is hardly a light, cheery romance for a Sunday afternoon; rather, it is a dark, disturbing story which threatens to repel the reader with its brutal honesty, while compelling him to read on for the resolution.
Consider yourself warned-if you dare to sample the first page, make sure you're in a comfortable chair.
This fast-paced story alternates between what happens next and what happened before, and fluctuates between gentle, romantic, or bittersweet moments and truly ugly, stomach-churning scenes of violence and despair.
Even the nastiest situations are not described graphically or in lengthy detail, however, but neither are they for the faint of heart.
The Kissing Room is told in the engaging, first person voice of Merle, a woman whose short life has already seen too much tragedy, making her wizened and weary beyond her years.
While the reader may not agree with her choices or even understand her reasons for making them, it is impossible not to sympathize with this character and want to see her prevail.
The character of Lain was less likable, but that did not seem important to me; I was rooting for Merle, and if he made her happy, that was all that mattered.
The Irish pub setting of the story is unique and authentic, with both the language and the details bringing it to life.
I could always see and feel the story happening as though I was a participant, rather than some disconnected voyeur.
The only time I was thrown off was when the point-of-view temporarily shifted from Merle to Lain for a brief passage near the end.
I understand why the author did this, but for me, it was disruptive.
Fortunately, I was so caught up in wanting to learn the ending, I just ignored it and went on.
Certainly, The Kissing Room is not a "beach read" with its violence and macabre themes, but I don't mean to imply that you will not enjoy it.
I read the book nearly straight through, and only stopped because of an unavoidable interruption.
I hated having to put the story on mental hold, and then resumed it as soon as I could-I just had to see how it would end.
When it is all said and done, Cheryl Anne Gardner's The Kissing Room is a deeply touching love story; you just won't know it til it's over.