Review: “Luke & Lara”
I received an advance copy of this book directly from the author, for whom I have reviewed several other books prior, as listed below:
- Our Liminal Spaces
- Six – Strange Stories of Love
- Intersections
- A Quiet Dissonance
- Parvathy’s Well & Other Stories
- Damage & Other Stories
- Holi Moly! & Other Stories
The Premise
This novel traces the lives of friends Luke and Lara from childhood into adolescence, and into different stages of adulthood. Half-American, half-English boy Luke and the quiet Indian girl Lara become inseparable over the years, despite tragedies that come between them time and time again. Beyond the usual romantic element of love, their connection spawns a deep unity that transcends all of their other relationships with friends, partners, and family. Spanning four decades and three continents, Luke & Lara is a poignant meditation on friendship, identity, and the intricacies of love.
The Pros & Cons
This was my fourth novel by this author, and I was excited to delve into yet another of her beautiful and touching stories. It was easy to get lost in the lives of Luke and Lara, continents apart and united by their letters to one another as their lives blossomed from one stage to the next. Each of the main characters come to life in all their raw glory — Lara’s self-doubt, fear, and worry and Luke’s sense of unsettledness that chases him throughout this life. Both of their family lives also add a deep richness to the overall story, showcasing various vignettes of lives and how people live through the times: a family fighting over property, parents over-indulging their adult children, the ebbs and flows of long marriages that endure difficult times, and so much more. As always, I appreciated the sprinkling of authenticity throughout the novel — the language and scenery helps to paint the backdrop of the story, giving the foundation for all the characters’ development as the years unfold.
As the story covers such a vast amount of time — four decades! — it does speed up and skip over chunks at a time, so it took some getting used to. My only concern with that is that some of the plot unfolds in the background, so we learn of critical moments in the past — I was itching for the reader to have been there for some things to explode in the present! Nevertheless it was an enjoyable read from beginning to end, showcasing so many tiny things that are hard to capture in words but so poignant and moving. I particularly loved the family stories that we see from different angles over the years, showing the evolution of the characters through their own changing viewpoints of the same people as they grew older and more mature.
Conclusion
This was another great read by this author. As typical of her novels, there’s so much depth as she explores characters across time, geography, and the fickleness of human nature. I would recommend this novel to other readers of all backgrounds, and I look forward to her next one!
