Anna Gavalda - I remember the little booklet buried among the other more stately and prominent hardcovers. It caught my eye as i scanned through the vertical spines quickly (before I got a crick in the neck), and picked it out immediately. The title must've struck a chord somehow...What followed was an engrossing read of courting rituals, lovers' antics and love stories; by Gavalda's writing sometimes subtly sensual, sometimes wildly passionate, or blatantly erotic, always with a pinch of salt. Courting Rituals of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés was especially fun to read as the opening story: when the mysterious stranger answers his cell phone on a first date, our heroine decides she has heard enough to cut short what could have been a passionate love affair. ("I come to my senses all at once. Traitor. Ingrate.") - Hilarious =P
Other stories: a salesman who unwittingly caused a horrific road accident and doesn't realise it until he reads the papers the next morning; two boys who borrowed their father's Jag for a night out and ended up destroying it; a veterinarian gang-raped by drunken farmers in a small town and gets her revenge. From first person to third person narratives, Gavalda tugs the heartstrings and plucks the nerves deftly. She brings up a whole gamut of emotions - loneliness, longing, pain, desperation, all stylishly and insightfully written.
****
My God, it's so surreal that I am able to say this: I do have someone waiting for me now..in Bali. Someone wonderful and someone I'm crazy about. It does feel wonderful.
36 hours to go..
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