The Lover
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted November 1, 2023
An exclusive release for Kindle (and Audible), free for Prime members, or $1.99 for others. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.
This is the second story Silvia Moreno-Garcia has published as an Amazon Original. I thought I had reviewed the previous one, because I did read it, along with the five others in the Trespass collection. I guess I only posted about them on my social media accounts. I need to re-read those and review, since I should maintain my commitment of reviewing all of Silvia's work. The Lover may be a novella or novelette, about a half hour read, a bit predictable being somewhat a variation on Red Riding Hood, but there are a few surprises along the way.
Judith lives in a small village with her older, widowed sister, who inherited a store and guesthouse from her husband. Judith has always been subservient to her sister. I suppose they are also both orphans since it is stated they grew up with their grandmother, with no mention of what happened to their parents. Unlike quite a few of her stories definitely set in Mexico, this could be almost anywhere; Europe, the United States, South America, maybe even Canada where Silvia lives now. Judith works in the store, cleans the guesthouse rooms, and does all the laundry, while Alice mostly thinks about spending her money on nice clothes and jewelry. As a child, Judith and her friends believed in the old wives tale of how they would meet their future husband. Taking off her shift and placing it under her pillow on the night of a full moon would bring a dream of a man, then in the morning she would find an object by her doorstep which would give a clue about his identity. Judith saw a twig on the steps, leading her to believe her future love would come from the forest.
A few months later, a stranger comes to town, a hunter, who takes a room at the guesthouse, which will be his resting place after his days hunting in the nearby forest. He is very kind and complimentary to Judith, but she is later heart-broken to learn he has proposed to Alice. Nathaniel marries Alice, and he splits his time between hunting and maintaining the store, while Judith still does all the laundry and other cleaning. A chance encounter with another man sets Judith on another path. That man may or may not be the werewolf that he claims to be. As with several other stories, the lead character thinks of herself as plain and ordinary, with a sibling that is prettier and more popular than them. It is possible Judith is prettier than her sister, but she has always been held down from thinking of herself, always having to serve Alice instead. Jealousy can be an ugly beast though, and can cause a person to harbor resentments only so long. How Judith handles that is the crux of the story.
If you are a Prime member, definitely download and enjoy this story. If not, $2 is a bargain for what you will receive. Recommended.
Related Links:
Silvia's Official Website
My reviews of her other books
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