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Tuesday, 05 December 2006 17:17 |
| | David Forbes |
The tragic love story of Abelard and Heloise is not as well-known as it once was, which is a shame. The forbidden and ill-fated 12th century romance between the two is a compelling tale that has lessons about lust, free thought, religious repression, abandonment and how love arises at the most inconvenient times.
The short version is that Abelard, a controversial academic and Heloise, one of his students, fall in love. Both are pledged to celibacy, he by his status as a teacher, she by religious vows. They violate this proscription (repeatedly) and have a child. Eventually, Heloiseës uncle discovers their affair and has Abelard castrated. He becomes a monk, she a nun and they barely see each other again. Their letters, collected and reprinted many times, have become a testament to forbidden love.
Now
the tale plays into a modern romance that sees the souls of the two
reborn, in "A Love Apart," (iUniverse, 166 pages, $13.95) by local
author Rachelle Rogers.
While on the
whole a fairly engrossing love story backed by a fascinating idea and
several moments of true insight, "A Love Apart" also suffers from some
serious narrative flaws that keep it from realizing its true potential.
An
Asheville-based poet and fiction writer, Rogers has been a reader for
UNCAës Writers at Home program. Much of her work, especially poetry,
has appeared in literary journals such as Passager, Sowës Ear Poetry
Review and Calyx.
"A Love Apart"
focuses on Lily, a poet/bookstore owner in Asheville and Julian, a New
York painter who moves into the area after the death of a his partner
Sam. Both are haunted by strange dreams that seem to come from Heloise
and Abelardës respective lives.
Drawn into each
otherës orbits by forces that they cannot understand, Lily and Julian
try to make sense of their past lives ÇƒÓ and unravel what theyëre
supposed to do about this one.
 The bookës
strength lies in its premise and in the authorës understanding of the
turbulent effects of romantic entaglement. The strongest passages tend
to be either flashbacks to the lives of their predecessors or the
stormy attempts to incorporate their mysterious bond into the present
day.
In their
attempts to decipher those questions, they are aided (or warned) by
friends and acquaintances, most memorably Lovina, an M&M-toting
psychic who counsels Lily.
While initially
the sort of stereotype that provokes a roll of the eyes, Lovina ends up
stealing some of the bookës best moments from the erstwhile lovers and
dishing out some of the stronger insights to emerge from their
struggles.
Those insights,
especially the revelation that no story plays out quite the same way
twice ÇƒÓ are really what end up making the book worthwhile. I did find
myself reading several of the better-phrased ones over again, tossing
them around in my mind. For that, Rogers deserves credit ÇƒÓ she
obviously understands her subjects well.
What hampers "A
Love Apart" is a far-too straightforward narrative and prose style that
ends up hindering both characterization and story.
With the
exception of how some of the events finally play out, there is next to
no mystery here. Lily and Julian have their lives laid out in the first
few paragraphs of their respective stories. We learn their likes and
dislikes, thought patterns, personalities and tragedies immediately.
Unfortunately,
this process continues throughout the novel. Characters connect far too
quickly and are far too honest and upfront about their deepest
emotions. Just in case the reader doesnët grasp some particular point,
the author is quick to stick it out in front of them, even at the level
of dialogue ("ǃÚVery funny,ë Lily replied, but her vulnerable state
again overtook her.")
Little is left
to the imagination. From early on we already know the characters and
the situation because the author has flat-out told it to us. Instead of
using telling incidents and actions to let the readerës imagination
draw its own picture and make its own conclusions, Rogers gives away
the game as soon as possible.
In any story this is a serious flaw, in a love story such as this it is almost fatal.
Romance relies
on mystery, on secrets ÇƒÓ on the slow unraveling of another person and
how they fit into oneës life. It is feeling and tone ÇƒÓ the world of
small gestures given great import, perhaps even wrongly so.
Most of all, it is things left unsaid or suddenly discovered. That is what renders it beautiful, even in collapse.
In rare
glimpses, Rogers shows that she understands this ÇƒÓ and I did find
myself glued to the book for those moments. But the style she chooses
chains this story to the earth when it could have taken wing.
ï
This book is by
a local author. I am always interested in reviewing such works. If you
have in mind a local work you would like to see reviewed, for any
reason, please contact me at letters-at-ashevilledailyplanet.com. ÇƒÓ DF
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