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| Book Review — Special to ClubMemoir.org |
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By the enticing cover and title,
you might assume this was yet another sultry summer romance novel. And it
even might read a bit like one--except that this one really happened. With
sumptuous details and a frank tone, Fraser sweeps you up into this irresistible
memoir that is part love story and part travel adventure.
When Fraser's brief marriage falls apart, she heads to Italy to outrun her
heartbreak. After a few men make obnoxious passes at her, Fraser finally
meets "the professor," a married Parisian art instructor known to the reader
only as M. They spend four days together frolicking on beaches, hotel rooms,
and sharing romantic meals before she returns home to San Francisco. Of
course, that's not the end of the story. The affair continues as the couple
meets in Milan, San Francisco, London, the Aeolian Islands, and finally Morocco.
In between these exotic dalliances, Fraser attempts to date eligible bachelors
stateside, only to experience one farcical fiasco after another.
Despite the dismal trail of Mr. Wrongs and the moral ambiguity of carrying
on with a married man clear across the world (apparently for the French an
affair now and then is excusable and even expected), Fraser slowly begins
to heal. Her experiences help her to reassess her needs from a relationship,
as well as her goals in life.
Present tense verbs and the unusual use of the second person point of view
give the story a very immediate, intimate, and yet dream-like quality. The
nice mix of dialogue and narrative bring Fraser's cross-cultural experience
alive. Occasional Italian words enhance the story's charm and realism. The
author even includes language gaffes, which illustrate the challenges of
communicating in a language other than your mother tongue. For example, at
one point Fraser says to M., "as my psychologist says, 'you are una fantasma
'." M. is confused until Fraser realizes she called him a ghost. "I meant
a fantasy, una fantasia," she corrects herself.
In our world of volatile relationships, this memoir is a refreshing look
at the fact that they don't necessarily make or break a life. This book will
strike a chord with everyone from the single twenty-something to the sixty-year-old
happily married woman. Not only is it a great balm for a broken heart, it
is a rollicking example of carpe diem. It also might give you a terrible
craving for mozzarella and pesto bruschetta and a quick trip to Italy.
— Viveka E. Neveln
ClubMemoir.org Book Review Editor
This book review is the property of its
author and ClubMemoir.org.
It may not be reproduced without the prior consent of ClubMemoir.org
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An Italian Affair by Laura
Fraser