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A literary LOVE AFFAIR Romantic reads for all
If all you want this V-Day is to curl up on the sofa with a cuppa and good book, you’re in luck! We have the ultimate book recommendations for all types of romantics ... plus some great movie suggestions if reading isn’t your thing.
For the thrill-seeker If the rain scene from The Notebook is your idea of perfection, then make sure you get your hands on Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren. This novel follows the life of Macy, a paediatrics resident whose world is turned upside down when she runs into Elliott, her first love. The story is told through a series of flashbacks and beautifully depicts the excitement and longing of young love. It’s an especially good read if you’re a sucker for happily ever after – the cheesier the better, right?
If you prefer your romance novels peppered with mystery and action, Innocence by Dean Koontz is the book for you. The novel centres around the life of Addison, a young man whose appearance seems to distress people to a point of violence and so is forced to hide himself away from society. Addison’s existence is one of isolation until he meets Gwyneth who, like him, isolates herself due to her social phobia. This novel is heart wrenching, unpredictable and extremely refreshing. In true Dean Koontz style, it has a healthy dose of the supernatural and a gruelling reflection on human nature. With its likeable characters, exciting plotline and completely original ending, we guarantee you that you won’t be able to put this one down.
Not a reader? Watch The Best of Me
Not a reader? Watch Haunt (2014)
For the hopeless romantic
Words Amber Richardson Images Supplied
For the ‘suffer in silence’ type
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For the romance hater
Keen on a little longing and a lot of angst? Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman (recently made into a critically acclaimed film starring Timothée Chalamet) is a mustread for those with a penchant for forbidden love. The story is told through protagonist, Elio’s perspective as he recounts being 17 and falling for an older man called Oliver. Although Oliver first feigned indifference towards Elio, their romance soon turned into a six-week-long love affair, which marked them both for the rest of their lives. This novel is heartbreakingly honest and casts a beautiful reflection on the passage of time. It’s so worth the read – just make sure you have a box of tissues close by!
If the thought of epic first kisses and airport scenes make you cringe, be sure to pick up A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This book is arguably Hosseini’s best work so far and that’s saying a lot given that he penned The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns is poignant and deeply sad but also truly moving. Although the novel does have an underlying love story, we could argue that the main love affair is between main characters Mariam and Laila, who were both forced to marry the same man as teenagers and form a mother and daughter like bond. Set in Afghanistan, the story focuses on how Mariam and Laila help each other survive and the unlikely but unbreakable friendship that grows between them.
Not a reader? Watch Brokeback Mountain
Not a reader? Watch Little Women
Hello Joburg • February 2020 • www.hellojoburg.co.za
