I devoured this book! I love the crisp, deceptively simple style of writing Vendela Vida uses. This story, of a woman recently widowed, returning to the place of her honeymoon in Turkey, is sad, moody and very moving. It is, to me, a story of trying to move forward but having to get pulled back to make sense of the past first. Definitely a pensive and rewarding read, I will be looking for more of this author's work. Vida's skill lies in her careful and thorough treatment of exterior spaces/landscapes and the extension of these sites as tools to elucidate the emotions of her characters. In The Lovers, Turkey seems to be an emotionally mature character all on its own; Vida describes a country saddled with the heavy vestiges of its cultural and religious past struggling with its progression towards some unspoken ideal of modernity. Yvonne, the novel's understated and grieving widow, seems to be essentially undertaking the same course, albeit in more human terms. The Lovers makes writing flawlessly look simple and it's a breeze to read. But I felt curiously let down by its conclusion. I appreciated Yvonne's emotional journey and understood the factors that led to the end of her story, but I felt like something was missing, almost as if some large puzzle piece was incorrectly laid down into the greater layout of this book and then forced there awkwardly. 5 stars for the stellar depiction of Turkey, 4 for the novel as a whole.
Do You like book Rakastavat (2010)?
Particularly liked the images of Turkey, the culture and landscape beauty I had never considered.
—cutter
Her sparse use of words is elegant. I remained curious about what would happen right to the end.
—Bookworm
