 Romance Fiction |
CLOSER THAN CLOSE Bettye Griffin BET/Arabesque January 2003 (4) Katika Floyd |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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Discovering that she's listed on her high school's Internet bulletin board as being dead, Ivy Smith wants to prove she's alive and kicking at her upcoming class reunion. But she needs a date, and invites handsome post office clerk Raymond Jones to accompany her. Soon, the successful businesswoman wins his heart. |
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REVIEW: |
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CLOSER THAN CLOSE explores romance and the income gap. Ivy Smith, a successful business owner, is in need of a date for her high school reunion where everyone thinks she’s dead. She invites handsome postal clerk, Ray Jones, and he steals her heart.
Ms. Griffin uses the main characters’ occupations to study the dynamics of falling in love and the effect finances have on a developing relationship; specifically what happens when the woman in the relationship has more money than the man. This topic of finances is seen from several angles including the main characters and the unwanted opinions of their family and friends. Which leads to the question – “Are we so shallow that what a person makes monetarily should be a barrier to a relationship?” I hope not, but this is a question that kept going through my mind as I read this book.
The setting of New York City works well with this novel. What better place to explore finances and personal relationships than the Big Apple, where the haves and the have-nots live side by side?
Ivy is a warm and accepting person who works hard and tries not to let the negative opinions of others keep her from seeing the good in Ray. She also does a good job of keeping the possible obstacles to their relationship in mind. Ray, a single father, is also hard working and falls in love with Ivy for who she is and not what she earns. I had a good time reading about how they worked through their misgivings, and the opinions of others, to find love. However, I felt more of Ivy’s angst at what others thought about Ray than the attraction between the two. This is probably the one thing I saw as a weakness in the story.
In CLOSER THAN CLOSE, Ms Griffin brings us a good story that looks at life, love, and money from a unique and interesting viewpoint. While I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of her stories in the future, A LOVE OF HER OWN is a better example of Ms. Griffin’s work. |
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katika@romanceincolor.net (30th December 2002) |
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