Review: Evocative. Indelible
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 11, 2013
This is a story of a young girl's romantic obsession for her English teacher, Solomon, which changes her irrevocably and cracks the shell of narcissism protecting his heart.  She begins to write of her love as she watches him from her bedroom window. "When the universe was young it took a breath, then sighed with a longing so deep, so ancient, that it stole God's attention for a moment. The sigh brushed God's cheek and He recognised it as the breath of love. In that moment God wished for another. The yearning had begun."To Solomon she appears like any other young, female student, blossoming into womanhood until he begins to receive her scented love letters filled with a yearning so powerful, and words so poignant, he finds himself once again unable to resist the offer of a young, ripe body. The irresistible pull of his lust and her obsession sabotages all adult relationships for the young woman for over 20 years; all she can manage is to play at the edges of love. When they meet again, this unyielding connection must be resolved for them both to find fulfilment and peace.I hesitated when I realised this was an erotic love story but the pull of Kate Belle's stunning prose and the heart-wrenching fragility of this girl's yearning for Solomon, transcends the limits of labelling. The author has created characters so real, I could feel them as well as see them and her writing is so beautiful, I felt moved by almost every word. This author's powerful and astute exploration of the complexities of this teacher/student relationship and its long-lasting effects on both their lives left me questioning all my previously held opinions about such scandalous power-play. I found it hard to pick up another book after this one as most seemed bland and empty. Thank you Kate Belle!