Review: A Regular Cottage Industry
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 14, 2012
Romance books are a tremendously profitable genre in an industry that cranks out thousands of titles every year. With the continuous advent of technology, it is ridiculously simple for an aspiring romance writer to compose a novel in a matter of days, download it to a blog or other Web site, or even Google the term "self-publishing" in the search engine and view countless sites for ideas on how to get their work published and distributed. As the title indicates, it is a veritable cottage industry for enterprising individuals. In Sandra Ross's "He Came With the Cottage," the domicile in question revolves around the female protagonist and the young, virile, handsome caretaker to whom she is strongly attracted.The cottage is described in the story as being a "stone vine covered structure" (ch. 1) and containing a hallway, foyer, parlor, office, kitchen, and a set of stairs ostensibly leading to a bedroom or two. Ross takes the time necessary to describe the cottage's exterior and interior settings in lush detail, which not only gives the narrator (unnamed up to this point) a sense of foreshadowing and a basis upon which all subsequent action and thought will occur.Ross creates a sense of adventure, excitement and intrepid discovery by intertwining the narrator's family relationship with her mother with that of the cottage and its environment. The narrator seems to be immediately at ease with her new surroundings as she first approaches, then enters the cottage and slowly acclimates herself to an atmosphere in which she is able to reclaim a semblance of control over her life.The issue of control is an important concept in "Cottage." The reader learns in the first chapter that "I couldn't have asked for a more tranquil and beautiful place to get my head back together and possibly regain my sanity." As she slowly explores the other rooms within her newly-discovered abode, the narrator muses that "this is the perfect place for me to heal all the way around" and that "(a)fter the catastrophe that had been my life during (the) last couple of weeks, I was more than ready for solitude in a beautiful place" (ch. 1). Our narrator is entirely cognizant of her fragile psyche and wounded emotional state, and by heeding her mother's advice to go spend some time alone, she thus enters a world that provides her with solace, comfort, and healing---one that allows her to proceed at her own pace to fully recover from a previous relationship that ended on a sour note.She notices how well-maintained the cottage is and marvels at the intricate beauty that permeates each room. This appreciation for order, tranquility and attractiveness allows her to reflect upon her desire to accelerate and accentuate her self-soothing, and allows the reader to accompany her on her journey from vulnerability to victory.The proverbial wrench is thrown into her newly-formed routine when the cottage's caretaker arrives to introduce himself to the narrator and to offer his help whenever she needed it. The attraction is instantaneous between the both of them, but neither party makes the first move until a series of events takes place that gradually releases a torrent of passion within her and allows her to grieve her break-up within the relative safety of the caretaker and the cottage.Ross allows the relationship within "Cottage" to progress at a pace that is realistic of most actual new romances---a bit awkward; mostly exciting; some fear and hesitation, but ultimately rewarding. The emotions are omnipresent and are never too far from the surface; Ross manages to maintain the tension almost entirely within the cottage's physical domain and on the immediate grounds outside."He Came With the Cottage" provides a satisfying read for Ross's fans.