Tuesday 12 February 2013

Apart From Love , by Uvi Poznansky

Apart From Love
Paperback, 292 pages
Published February 15th 2012 by Uvi Poznansky
ISBN
0984993207 (ISBN13: 9780984993208)
edition language
English
characters
 
Written with passionate conviction, this story is being told by two of its characters: Ben, a twenty-seven years old student, and Anita, a plain-spoken, spunky, uneducated redhead, freshly married to Lenny, his aging father. Behind his back, Ben and Anita find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. They take turns using an old tape recorder to express their most intimate thoughts, not realizing at first that their voices are being captured by him.
Meanwhile, Lenny keeps a secret from both of them: his ex-wife, Ben’s mother, a talented pianist, has been stricken with an early-onset alzheimer. Taking care of her gradually weighs him down.
What emerges in these characters is a struggle, a desperate, daring struggle to find a path out of conflicts, out of isolation, from guilt to forgiveness.

The title Apart From Love comes from a phrase used in the story:

After a while I whispered, like, “Just say something to me. Anything.” And I thought, Any other word apart from Love, ‘cause that word is diluted, and no one knows what it really means, anyway.
Anita to Lenny, in Apart From Love

Why, why can’t you say nothing? Say any word—but that one, ‘cause you don’t really mean it. Nobody does. Say anything, apart from Love.
Anita to Ben, in The Entertainer

For my own sake I should have been much more careful. Now—even in her absence—I find myself in her hands, which feels strange to me. I am surrounded—and at the same time, isolated. I am alone. I am apart from Love.
Ben, in Nothing Surrendered�
 
My Review
I wasn't totally sure what to make of this book because there were parts that I both loved and hated. I felt that the concept behind the novel as very unique and you could clearly tell that there was something much more than your average story here within the pages. for me it felt like there was something personal, whether it be from the authors own experience or from something else altogether. The story itself was well introduced and written, with the four main characters clearly identified as individuals with a different story that linked into one. I felt that the characters were defined in a good manner that allowed you to connect and relate to them, which meant that the story was much more readable and understandable. Although we do not get to see the story from all perspectives of the characters, we still get that feeling from each of them, that they are all fearing, feeling and seeing different things, and that was enough to create an experiance of you being there with them within the pages.  It is evident from the title that the novel is about the concept of love, and being anything apart from love, and although it is cliche and perhaps obvious, it works well for the concept of the novel, especially when explained later on in the book.

I really enjoyed the way in which the characters personality was represented in such a way that you could hear them within your head. It showed that love is not about what we are taught or brought up within, but that it can be a mixture of fates and turns and that its often just a complication of the times and the mannerisms. The author has touched on the topic of adultry here within the novel, but she has also gone into the reasons as to why it occured and I think by the end of it you understand that it happened due to fear and isolation. The man was losing the woman that he loved and he wanted to be with someone who would not forget him and who would need him around. Unfortuantely for him, his son also happened to fall in love with the same person.

I think for me the book identified the factor that we often fall in love with those who make us feel more useful but that sometimes we can find ourselves challenging the reasons they give us for love. For me it represented strongly that love is a constant battle of change and willingness, and that we have to overcome these obsticles before they become an elephant in the room. The triangle represented in the book was well produced with words and you really did get a clear understanding and knowledge of what was happening and how. you never felt like you were out of place within the novel, or that the book was drifting off because it always seemed to stay on track. I do feel a little let down by the ending and I do think that there were loose ending within the book that were never clarified or cleared up. But other than that it was well written and it was an ok novel to read.

Its not the best novel that I have read, but for what it was, it was different. it wasn't perfect and was far from what I would consider award winning must read again, stay on the memory. it was more of a heres a book to make you really think about complications in love and life, enjoy. the author does have talent and I look forward to reading more of her published novels, for she clearly knows to how to engage the readers interest.

didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing

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