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“Seven Stories” – Now at amazon

My Review – When I See Your Face – Devika Fernando

Devika’s is the first book I’m reading on my Kindle Paperwhite that arrived two days ago. It took me a while to get the hang of this wonderful device, and I’ve no regrets.
Before I begin, I must confess that I do not like to offer, or receive, any false applause. So bear with me, or reject if I sound out of tune.
After investing in a lot of ‘Best-sellers’, this book comes as a pleasant surprise. The narrative is smooth, flawless, and the descriptions par for the course’though a bit too heavy in places, slowing the pace of the tale. The characters are believable and, like all romance novels, the two men are delightfully muscular, sexy, and handsome. Cathy appears to be sensitive, emotional, and well balanced. Having said that, the dreadful manner in which she pounced on Mark’s lookalike, when she first saw Mike, didn’t quite suit her character. This woman, who had put up with so much brutality by her husband, without raising her voice, could hardly be expected to act so violently. That act didn’t quite work for me.
By the way, did that guy bring those flowers for the cashier? Looks like you deliberately put them in his hand to give a false impression to the startled woman!
Okay, so finally she falls in love with Mike, and yet she cannot shed the lingering thoughts of Mark, who seems to have taken a permanent residence in her head. I’m somewhat surprised her romance with Mike didn’t progress beyond a few passionate kisses’until perhaps two years later facilitated by the much delayed intervention of a gracious aunt.
Cathy was too harsh on Mike when she abruptly leaves him without giving him a chance to clear the air. He had shown no sign of forcing him on her. He was already an old resident in that village when she arrived on the scene, and the attraction was mutual. I find it difficult to believe that Mike made no attempt to clarify his position, allowing her to leave without a word on either side.
The bulk of the story runs in Cathy’s head. Her feelings and inner thoughts are covered eloquently, though a bit overdone in my humble opinion. The script tends to become description-heavy, but that maybe the preferred style of the author, and I’m not complaining.
The setting presumably is somewhere in the west where a gardener can afford to live in a decent house. The ‘Bollywood movie’ you mentioned, therefore, just didn’t fit in the story. But that’s just my opinion even though some of the Bollywood movies are gaining grounds in the west.
On the whole, a good read by all accounts. I’ll definitely read more of the author’s stories’even if she gives a pass to my stuff!
I wish her the very best.