DISTANT LOVER - Gloria Mallette
Kensington/Dafina
October 2004
SYNOPSIS: For 37-year-old Tandi Crawford, the past is a double-edged sword of both pleasure and pain. Each step closer to the truth will reveal its own secret--secrets that will forever change Tandi's life.
MAINSTREAM FICTION: (4) Tricia-Ann Blades
REVIEW: Gloria Mallette has done it again! She has produced a beautiful piece of work, dealing with the intricacies of familial relationships. DISTANT LOVER is a powerful rendition of a woman’s struggle of who she is and her ability to overcome the difficulties that life hands her.
DISTANT LOVER is about Tandi Crawford, a young married woman, who is dissatisfied with her state of affairs. She goes through the varied emotions of a woman who is trapped in a relationship where she feels bereft of vital life. As she wanders in the desert of emotionalism, she encounters the oasis of distant love and sups at its pools, but the oasis is simply a mirage and Tandi must labor through the scorching sands to find the key to life. As this character drudges through the desert areas of her life, the author brings out the themes of infidelity, the importance familial relationship, the importance of communication within the novel, enabling the reader to become involved in the drama of the characters life.
“I shall walk carefully in the bitterness of my soul.” The very soul of a man can be altered by the bitterness that life hands him. Intricately woven into this novel is the character of Glynn Belson Sr. His often caustic, cutting and acid remarks drive his family away from his presence. His very presence incites fear in the hearts of the novel’s characters but like a phoenix rising from the ashes the author brilliantly outlines the cause of this man’s bitterness. His distant lover returns to deliver his soul from the pit of bitterness and give him hope for another year.
Fitting is the title of the novel as it relates to the distance of love within relationships. Both men and women experience the walls that are built over a period of time if communication is not practiced. If these walls are built, it is often difficult to break them down and distance in love often develops. The writer systematically shows how this broken communication can be repaired and removes the idea that all is lost in if your love becomes distant.
DISTANT LOVER is a thoughtful yet captivating read, suspenseful and invigorating.
tricia@romanceincolor.com (9th September 2004)