Friends of Words

Author: Swati

  • The Stone Boy: Short Story Summary, Analysis and Review

    The Stone Boy: Short Story Summary, Analysis and Review

    The Stone boy is a short story by Gina Berriault. It was first published in 1957 in Mademoiselle magazine. The story revolves around a nine-year-old boy who accidentally shoots his older brother, but is freakishly calm about it later on.

    The short story catapulted its author, Gina Berriault, to international fame when the story was made into a movie in 1984. Before this short story became so popular, her first collection of short stories – The Mistress, and Other Stories – had helped a great deal to establish Gina as a consummate writer.

    The Stone Boy: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The story is about a nine-year-old boy, Arnold, who lives with her mom, dad, sister and an elder brother, Eugie. Although not very expressive, he admires his elder brother, Eugie in his heart and hopes to grow up to be like him.

    One morning he wakes up early to pick peas in the fields with his brother Eugie. He wakes him up and goes downstairs. He then picks up the rifle his dad gave them a few days ago to shoot ducks.

    Eugie comes downstairs too, reminds Arnold that it wasn’t duck season and the two boys leave the house for an early morning trip to the fields to pick peas.

    They come to the wire fence that divides the fields from the lake. Eugie passes through the fence first. Arnold follows him, but his gun is stuck in the wires.

    In an attempt to untangle it, he jerks at it and accidentally fires a shot.

    Feeling foolish for making this mistake and bracing himself for the impending
    teasing from his brother, he reluctantly walks on but notices that his brother is lying on the ground.

    Unable to understand this behavior, he looks more carefully and sees blood on the back of his head.

    He realizes that the shot that he accidentally fired ended up killing his elder brother.

    poster of 1984 movie the stone boy
    Poster of the 1984 movie The Stone Boy, which is based on the short story.

    Instead of running to his family, informing them about the accident and seeking their help, he stays on in the field to pick peas as if nothing had happened.

    To him, it was reasonable to complete the task that he came to do in the first place. Leaving the task incomplete for something that was beyond his control didn’t appeal to his reasoning, logical mind.

    He stays on, finishes the task and goes back home. He dreads breaking the news to his family but does so with amazing calm.

    Quite unsurprisingly, his family is devastated.

    While his mother finds it hard to come to terms with her elder son’s death and Arnold`s pathological calm, his sister completely ignores his presence. His father, in addition to arranging for his son’s funeral, has to take Arnold to the County Sheriff.

    Upon being asked to narrate the incidents from the morning that day, Arnold explains everything to his father and uncle Andy. However, he is at a loss of words when asked why he didn’t run back home to announce the news.

    His father is puzzled by his cold demeanor, and Arnold starts to feel even more distant and aloof.

    The spell of silence finally breaks when the Sheriff arrives.

    He asks Arnold a series of questions including why he had the gun in the first place and if he had a “good relationship” with his elder brother.

    Although his answers seem extremely cold, which is disconcerting, he concludes that there is no foul play and the shooting was indeed an accident. He lets Arnold and the family go. However, he does mention that the freakishly cold demeanor displayed by Arnold was indicative of a criminal mind in making.

    Uncle Andy agrees with Sheriff’s explanation and goes till the extent of mocking his reasonableness. His cousin taunts him as well, saying that his father might have punished him severely if he did the same thing to his brother.

    Arnold keeps growing uneasy and even more distant, the weight of judgement from everyone around weighing heavily on him. At night, he eventually goes to his mom’s room to explain to her in person about the events that transpired earlier that day, but his mother, who is still grieving, turns him away.

    He feels more and more like a burden on his family – an unwelcome presence and with his brother gone and everyone else around him grieving – he shuts himself off completely, vowing never to be vulnerable again.

    The following morning, when his mother asks what he wanted from her, he says “nothing” with a freakish calm, leaving his mother terrified.

    The Stone Boy: Analysis and Review

    Gina has managed to pack so much power in this short story – it’s unbelievable!

    She makes you root for the boy, but not without questioning his judgement (or worse without judging him once). The fact that his reason is mistaken as being completely unfeeling is so inexplicably daunting.

    There are certain incidents from the story that are so beautifully human yet painful, such as:

    1 – “What did he mean “good friends”?

    Arnold was clueless when the sheriff asked if he was ‘good friends’ with his elder brother, whom he had accidentally killed earlier that day.

    It’s heart-wrenching to see how this young boy, who had so much love and admiration for his brother, unable to express himself in a socially acceptable form – is perceived to be a criminal in making and stone-cold, or rather, a stone.

    2 – Arnold never tired of watching Eugie offer silent praise unto himself

    Arnold loved watching his brother look into the mirror, inspecting himself and feeling proud. He secretly wondered if he could ever be able to fill his shoes. If his parents never called him, he thought, he would stay up in the loft forever, out of the way.

    When Arnold broke the news to his parents, who disbelievingly went out of the house to see for themselves, Arnold sneaked out to the barn. He was ready for the punishment in case his parents never call him.

    He would be prepared to forever live in the same space and stay out of their way. In that very instant, Eugie playful young brother had transformed into someone wholly guilt-ridden and prepared to face the consequences of his actions.

    Gina Berriault once said – Short stories and some short novels are close to poetry–with
    the fewest words they capture the essence of a situation, of a human being. It’s like trying to pin down the eternal moment.

    She has done just that with Stone Boy.

    Movie based on The Stone Boy

    If you are one of those readers that love watching movie adaptations of your favorite reads, you are in for a treat. The movie, The Stone Boy, was released back in 1984 and had Robert Duvall as one of the lead actors.

    This movie was one of the reasons why her short story catapulted to instant fame.

    Do you want to read The Stone Boy?

    The Stone Boy, and other famous short stories written by Gina Berriault can be found on Amazon through the links given below:

    Check Price on Amazon US
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  • The Judgement by Franz Kafka: Summary, Analysis and Review

    The Judgement by Franz Kafka: Summary, Analysis and Review

    The Judgement is a short story written by Franz Kafka. It was first published in 1912. The story revolves around a young merchant and his relationship with his father. Franz Kafka was running a business while writing this story, which limited his literary creativity. This conflict inspired the protagonist of ‘The Judgement.’

    “So now you know what else existed in the world outside of you before you knew only about yourself!”

    The Judgement by Franz Kafka is one of his most prominent works, also perceived as the closest to his autobiographical memoir – the relationship between a father and son – one that resembles closely to his own.

    The story was first published way back in 1912 as Das Urteil, in Arkadia (a literary yearbook) owned by his friend and close confidante Max Brod.

    The Judgement: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The protagonist of this story is a young merchant, a man called Georg Bendemann. It opens with him writing a letter to an unnamed friend, who left for Russia a few years ago to start a business – one that showed a lot of promise initially but is now in a fragile state.

    On the contrary, Georg has been having tremendous success in managing his own business.

    Until now, he has only been giving his friend little pieces of information – and not that frequently either. But now he decides to let his friend know about his upcoming marriage to Freida Brandenfield, a girl from an affluent family.

    Georg decides to check on his father and let him know of his intentions and seek his approval to break this news to his friend.

    Although, quite ill and heartbroken after his wife’s death, his father appears huge to him.

    His father questions the existence of his friend and blames Georg for keeping him in the dark regarding his business dealings. He also attacks him personally saying that the death of his mother didn’t impact Georg as much as him.

    Although hurt by his father’s accusations, he insists that he lay on bed, rest for a while and get his strength back.

    But the father claims that he’s only asking him to lay on the bed because he wants him dead.

    In a fit of rage, he also admits to knowing all about his friend and that he has been informing his friend about everything that has been happening in Georg’s life.

    He ridicules Georg about his fiance, mocks her and implies that he doesn’t value anyone but himself. He completely disregards Georg’s love and care.

    Georg, deeply hurt by his father’s statements, recoils.

    His father’s anger still rages on. He calls Georg selfish and sentences him to death by drowning.

    Georg feels a strange but powerful force that pushes him out of the room.

    He then runs out of the house and onto a bridge. Then he swings himself off the railings and jumps to his apparent death, wherein the sound of the jump is muffled by sounds of traffic.

    The Judgement: Analysis and Review

    This story from Kafka stands out for the parallels drawn to his real life. There are a few examples of that:

    1 – Kafka’s relationship with his father

    Kafka’s father, Hermann, had a very forceful personality that had a deep impact on him. I couldn’t help but notice how frequently Kafka’s protagonists are shown to cower in their father’s presence, which closely resembles a fearful reverie.

    When Georg goes to meet his father (whose health is failing), he still appears huge to him. All the care and devotion towards his father is met with scathing contempt.

    a portrait for author franz kafka
    A portrait of Franz Kafka – the author of The Judgemment

    2 – Kafka’s relationship with Felice Bauer (his fiance)

    Similar to how Georg’s upcoming marriage is a significant plot point in the story introducing tumult, so is Kafka’s relationship to his real-life girlfriend and later, fiance, Felice Bauer. In the story, Freida is the indirect cause of Georg’s death. In real life, Kafka both dreaded and loved Felice for the impact that she had on his art.

    3 – Kafka’s seclusion and Georg’s bachelorhood

    Georg has been shown to love his fiance, but at the same time has also been shown indifferent in some aspects – even going to the extent of considering it a mistake or liability at some point.

    Exhausted by Georg’s comments when Freida suggests that he should not have been engaged at all, Georg replied by saying -“Well, we are both to blame for that.” Same has been known to be true for Kafka’s relationship with Felice as well.

    Kafka’s curse of writing in seclusion is coupled with the idea that an association with her is only going to drive him further away from his path of writing – which he considered his life’s only reward.

    4 – Similarity in professions

    When Kafka was running his business, he was continually pressed for time to satiate his creativity cravings, hardly getting any time to write. This was an inspiration behind the protagonist character.

    The poet W. H. Auden once called Franz Kafka “the Dante of the twentieth century”.

    I couldn’t agree more.

    Want to read The Judgement?

    The Judgement is available on Amazon if you want to get yourself a copy. You are welcome to use the links given below to order a copy:

    Check Price on Amazon US
    Check Price on Amazon Canada
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  • The Bear Came Over The Mountain: Summary and Review

    The Bear Came Over The Mountain: Summary and Review

    The Bear Came Over The Mountain is a short story by Canadian author and Nobel laureate Alice Munro. It revolves around Grant and Fiona, an elderly couple who have been married for several decades and their struggle with Alzheimer’s and infidelity.

    “I don’t think there is anything to worry about. I expect I am just losing my mind”- Fiona, an Alzheimer’s patient, says to her husband in this poignant short story by Alice Munro.

    The story was originally published in The New Yorker in their 1999 edition. In 2006, the story was adapted into a film Away From Her directed by Sarah Polley.

    The Bear Came Over The Mountain: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The story revolves around Grant and Fiona, an elderly couple who have been married for several decades. Grant is a retired University professor who is takes Fiona to a residential facility for patients with dementia, despite resistance from her.

    He recalls how their journey together started one day, when she had whimsically proposed marriage to him wondering if it would be fun. The residential facility, where Fiona is scheduled to be staying, has a policy of patients to have no visitors for a month.

    Grant, although troubled by this, goes through this period with help from Kristy, a nurse who keeps Grant posted with Fiona’s status – health and otherwise. Grant skis and dines alone in the meantime, constantly remembering these occasions from the past with Fiona in them.

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage book cover
    The Bear Came Over The Mountain is a short story within a book of short stories by Alice Munro. The book’s title is ‘Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage’

    Grant has plenty of time to ruminate about his past during the day to the extent that he dreams about them as well.

    One of those incidents was when his decision to end a relationship with one of his students had driven her to commit suicide. This eventually ended up having him socially ostracized at the university.

    He eventually escaped the environment  promising his wife  a new chapter in their lives by moving to a Farmhouse which Fiona had inherited from her father. This, he thought, was a chance life had given him to work on his marriage, and he felt grateful for this perfectly-timed opportunity of avoiding losing Fiona.

    With his one month wait period nearly coming to an end, he prepares to meet her at the facility. On the day of the meeting, feeling the anticipation as that of a fresh affair, he buys a bouquet of flowers for her.

    He meets Kristy, who directs him to Fiona’s room. Unable to find her there, he moves to the communal area, only to see a different Fiona, with her short hair and a few extra pounds. He sees Fiona playing bridge with a man called Aubrey. Although she is friendly to Grant and answers his questions, she is eager to return to Aubrey’s side.

    Grant comes to know that Aubrey is a temporary resident at the facility and will be leaving upon his wife’s return from vacation. Grant tries to gather more information from Kristy about his wife’s new relationship but is quickly told that it is a common occurrence among patients.

    His wife’s behavior towards him continues to be the same – polite yet distant while her intimacy with Aubrey continues to grow.

    Although he is happy to see his healthy wife, her close association with Aubrey – walks in the hall and co-dependence, continues to bother him. He drifts back to incidents from his past,  where by indulging in an affair with a married woman, he becomes an infidel in his own marriage.

    He thinks of himself as a philanderer, although not liking to label himself that way.

    Grant returns to the facility to see his wife again, only to find both her and her companion distraught at the thought of separation. Aubrey’s wife, having returned from her vacation, has arrived to take Aubrey back home.

    Scared that this separation might adversely affect Fiona, he seeks Kristy’s counsel and feels relieved when told that patients usually recoup once the separation is over.

    Unfortunately that does not seem to be happening to Fiona, who continues to be distraught long after, has given up eating and refuses to leave her bed.

    The hospital staff, seeing her complete lack of willingness in participating in the recovery program, propose to move her to the intensive care section of the facility. Completely disheartened to see his wife in that sorry state, Grant decides to discuss the situation with Aubrey’s wife Marion to work out an arrangement with her.

    Grant visits Marion at her place. The two discuss their experiences of managing illnesses of their  spouses. Grant comes to know that Aubrey has been pulled out of the facility by Marion for financial reasons and Marion has no plans to bring him back. Grant requests Marion to bring Aubrey to the facility once a week. He thinks this will help heal his wife and aid faster recovery.

    Marion rejects Grant’s request. But when he returns to his house, he finds two voicemails from her proposing the idea of going to a singles dance. Puzzled by this, Grant wonders what change could have  led to Marion reaching out to him.

    He thinks it to be a great opportunity, thinking that spending more time with Marion could lead to a change of her heart r and she might eventually  accept Grant’s request for Fiona. Grant decides to call her back.

    He visits Fiona again, this time with Aubrey. Fiona recognizes Grant, this time, and not Aubrey.

    She thanks Grant for not deserting her as they embrace.

    The Bear Came Over The Mountain: Review and Theme

    Like any other Munro story, this story will leave you thinking and smiling, leaving you with a lesson or two. There are quite a few things in the story that got me thinking.

    1 – The title of the story

    Why is the story titled “The bear came over the mountain?”

    When I read the title of the story for the first time, I imagined it to have something to do with children. After all, what does a childrens’ rhyme have anything to do with dementia and that too in much older adults?

    Turns out, everything!

    There is not much left once you are atop a  mountain except to come down from it, symbolizing the descent downhill. In many ways that signifies the journey of an

    elderly alzheimer’s patient.

    So much depth and meaning hidden in a child’s rhyme! Thank you Alice for bringing it alive, in a way only you can!

    2 – (A)typical love

    Although it has been shown that Fiona and Grant love each other, their relationship does not fit the conventional mould by any measure. Difference in their financial status, Grant’s infidelity, Fiona’s blatant and somewhat inhuman disregard for a student’s suicidal attempt – all screaming that it is a perfectly imperfect relationship.

    This does not, however, stop Grant from doing whatever he possibly could  – going to

    the extent of potentially starting an affair with Aubrey’s wifeto bring Aubrey to Fiona, even when  it meant that he might drive Fiona further away from him.

    Flawed yet sweet, I was at loss to decide if I would ever want a Grant in my life.

    Courtesy New Yorker, the story is available to read online for free.

    To those of you who love comparing books/stories with their movies, I bring good news! This story has also been adapted into a film by Sarah Polley, back in 2006.

    About the author – Alice Munro

    Alice Munro (b. 1931) is a Canadian writer who has numerous literary awards to her credit including but not limited to Nobel Prize in Literature (2013) as well as Man Booker Prize (2009). She is mostly known for her collection of short stories. Almost all of her stories are set in Canada, mostly small towns. The stories navigate the lives of ordinary people in the most extraordinary ways.

     

  • Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Story, Summary, Review

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Story, Summary, Review

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage is a short story written by Alice Munro. This story was published in a book of the same name which contained a few other short stories by Munro. This story revolves around the life of Johanna, a plain-looking, poor but a dedicated unmarried woman. She works for Mr McCauley, a reticent old man known in the community.

    “Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage” – this remarkable piece from Canadian Nobel Prize Laureate Alice Munro is a short story that lets you peek into the lives of her characters –almost all of them humane, flawed and endearing.

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Summary and Plot Analysis

    Mr McCauley has a granddaughter Sabitha who has now moved to a big city, taken in by her aunt Roxanne. Sabitha’s mother Marcelle has deceased a long time ago and her father Ken Boudreau, having changed jobs multiple times, is on the verge of bankruptcy and currently lives in Saskatchewan. Johanna is the housekeeper and takes care of Sabitha.

    Sabitha’s closest friend is Edith, who is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs.Schulz, owner of a shoe shop in the city and friends of Mr McCauley.

    The story starts with Johanna arriving at the train station to enquire about shipping furniture from Ontario to an address in Saskatchewan, she also enquires about the journey there and finalizes her tickets. Her exchanges with the station master are curt, and he considers the journey as well as the shipment pretty uncharacteristic.

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage book cover
    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage book cover

    She then goes on to shop for a fancy dress, which she considers rather expensive, and later tells the store person about it being her possible wedding dress. She rushes back home, leaves a letter for Mr.McCauley and leaves the house for her trip to Gdynia in Saskatchewan.

    Johanna likes Sabitha but doesn’t like her friend Edith much, because Edith seems too clever for her taste. She gets to meet Ken Boudreau, McCauley’s son in law when he comes down to meet his daughter.

    Ken frequently reaches out to Mr.McCauley for financial assistance. The most recent instance was when he asked Mr. McCauley to sell his own furniture and lend him some money. Mr.Mccauley, irked by this, disregarded the request altogether.

    Sabitha and Edith, close friends in their early teens – in one of their characteristic naïve conversations, come up with an idea of forging love letters from Ken Boudreau to Johanna.

    Having been shown interest from a man, which she seldom gets, Johanna starts to respond to the forged letters, and the girls keep forging letters from Ken. With each progressive exchange between Johanna and the girls posing as Ken, the messages become more and more personal and intimate.

    Johanna ultimately decides to help Ken by shipping the furniture and running away to be with him but didn’t write a letter to Ken to inform him of this.

    Johanna finally makes her way to Ken, who lives in what seems to be a dilapidated construction in the middle of nowhere.

    Ken, down with a terrible cough aggravated by his intense smoking habits, is unable
    to notice or question her unannounced arrival.

    Johanna takes charge of the situation – she sets up the place and devotedly nurses Ken back to health. As he gets better, he thinks of having a conversation with her about her sudden and unexpected appearance in his life, but looking at the money that she has brought with her – decides against it.

    Impressed by Johanna’s resolve, substantial savings and meticulous approach – all of which he lacks – Ken surrenders to her will.

    Several years later Edith comes to know that Ken and Johanna are married and have a kid.

    Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Review

    This is a fantastic short story for several reasons:

    1 – ‘Human’ characters

    The characters in her story are so amazingly ‘human’; all flawed yet intriguing. Who would not respect a person in control of their life, a person that makes things happen – our Johanna did a great job at that.

    Sabitha – just another directionless adolescent, not very clear about what she wants but doesn’t much care for it either.

    Ken – a person who cannot flourish without someone guiding and assisting them throughout, sometimes even to the extent of being a parasite.

    2 – Plain adults and cunning children

    I absolutely loved how the adults and children were portrayed in the story – Johanna, dedicated and meticulous and having lived a hard life, immediately succumbs to the feeling of love, easily trapped by a child’s prank. So much so that she completely went on a different path in her life- something she would never have imagined.

    Even while I was reading the story, I was heartbroken in the anticipation that Ken
    will break her heart. Lo and Behold! They actually marry and are a happy couple. The power that Munro gave to the child’s prank is humbling.

    3 – Ego

    McCauley’s transformation after the ‘smell of betrayal’ is so real. Shown initially as a very reticent guy, mostly apathetic to the things happening around him, he completely transforms into a bantering old man; people couldn’t recognize this man (“something’ has gotten into him”).

    And all because a housekeeper left, the one that he could not recall the age or build of. I am amazed at the power ego exercises and Munro has done justice to this monster in her work here.

    4 – Superbly titled story

    When I first picked up the story I read the title of the story multiple times to understand what it might mean. In addition, to be a mouthful to speak, it had a certain childish ring to it- an endearing one at that.

    Only when I read the story did I realize that growing up we played a variation of that too! I quickly drifted to my childhood days where games like that made dollops of sense. I believe any writer who can have you traverse through your own life reading their words- is a force to reckon.

    While accepting her Nobel Prize, Alice Munro remarked, “I want my stories to move people”… and move she does, with this gem of a story!

  • If You’re Not Yet Like Me: Summary, Plot Analysis and Review

    If You’re Not Yet Like Me: Summary, Plot Analysis and Review

    If You’re Not Yet Like Me is a short story written by Edan Lepucki. It is a story of a single woman – Joellyn – who lives alone in an apartment in New York. Joellyn happens to be narrating the stories of her (failed) romance with an unemployed, terribly-dressed man named Zachary to her unborn child.

    If You’re Not Yet Like Me: Summary and Plot Analysis

    Joellyn is a very relatable vision of a woman in her mid 20s to early 30s – a woman that is insecure yet boisterous, independent with a burning desire of companionship, compassionate yet indifferent, funny yet grappling with solitude. A woman that seems smart at some occasions and lost in others.

    Joellyn is an independent, confident woman living in the big city when one day she comes across an unremarkable gentleman Zachary at a crowded coffee house – one of those days where people order complicated coffee and the barista is cornered with a backlog.

    She strikes a conversation with Zachary, who was right behind him in the queue. Although Joellyn finds nothing remarkable about Zachary, she ends up setting a date with him later that night against her better judgement.

    She keeps her end of the bargain and shows up for the date only to re-affirm that Zachary is still as invisible a guy, as the one she met earlier that day. She carefully observes the events of their date, Zachary ordering beer and a salad with onions – making her think if he already found her as repulsive as she did.

    When he offers to buy another drink , she does not decline and ends up making another impulsive decision to invite him over to her place, despite the precautionary measures she takes earlier in the day to avoid this scenario.

    They end up having a good time together; although Joellyn’s impression of Zachary does not change much, she begins to soften for him over the time they spent together.

    Over beachwalks, pinatas, Imagine- land and pinatas , she starts to bond with Zachary, starts feeling warm and cozy in his presence and begins imagining his husband like behavior towards her, only to have the relationship end one day over Zachary not seeing how this could work out for them.

    Instead of trying to salvage the relationship, Joellyn ends up putting the blame of the failure of their relationship on his ‘invisibility’, driving a final nail in the coffin. Although she is heartbroken, instead of composing herself and starting afresh, she ends up making a mistake with an ex and ending up pregnant with his child.

    If You’re Not Yet Like Me: Review

    The story is told by Joellyn to her unborn child perhaps as a lesson for her not to make the same mistakes as her mother did.

    Although the story and the characters seem a little less developed to begin with, Lepucki does a good job to make up on the relatability front. The characters are quite relatable and so are the struggles of an adult still trying to find her bearings. The humor in the story did muffle the blow of the tale of a failed romance.

    If You’re Not Yet Like Me: Quotes

    There are some quotes from the story that made me laugh to myself, because I did find them relatable-

    “The coffee table covered with Venn diagram stains of cup’s past”

    This would probably apply to any anti-coaster adult that has lived alone at some point either in hostels, dorms, or hotel rooms. It brought back a flurry of memories from my college days where we had a variety of geometrical shapes adorning my study table, coffee table, bedside table – you name it.

    I remember quoting University of Minnesota research to my friends about how people with cluttered desks are geniuses actually, and as such, they should be left alone devising their genius plans to make the world a better place (atleast for them!)

    “The ending changes everything that came before it”

    This is what Joellyn tells her unborn child when revealing who her father is. She blatantly announces that she did not shed her superficiality after the heart break.

    Although it did seem to her at one point that her story could have been one of the Happy Ever Afters, but it never became that. The sad end to their short lived romance is all that stuck in her mind, the beautiful journey before that faded away into oblivion.

    I guess whether you will like the book depends on what you care for more – the destination or the journey.