Review: "Ghosts and memories never completely swept away"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 27, 2014
In hindsight, it was the theft of a cellphone that brought Genevieve and Paul together and started the whole thing. The two young lovers were ecstatically happy to be in Paris living their dreams: Genevieve to compose music, Paul to hone his skills as a photographer. But the lure of a job working in a small hotel on an island near Cannes was irresistible to the couple, so they embarked on what would become a year-long adventure. It was an idyllic life, working to restore the hotel to its former glory while exploring the island and its historic old ruins. Neither Genevieve or Paul recognized it at the time, but when a young girl showed up at the hotel one day, their jobs would be threatened and their relationship tested to the breaking point. The events of the tumultuous climax would change both of their lives forever."Hotel Paradise" is a marvelous short story that I enjoyed very much. Told as a flashback, it's a poignant story of a young couple living the lives they wanted until fate intervened in a dramatic way. It's one of the most engaging short stories that I've read in a long time.