Love is a noble emotion, at least the way it is presented in literature and movies. One expects the heroine to be deeply in love with the hero, and in a romance, dragged away from the hero by class conscious father, to be married to a rich man, but nurture the love forever only to be reunited at the first opportune moment.

I am glad, this book is different from all this fairy tale. Oh no. I am not against them, but for a change, this book puts love in a different plane altogether.

There is puppy love - won with difficulty. The hero is mad about the girl and chases her with letters and poetry. And just as success is within reach, the girl is snatched away by a father who believes in making a match in the same class...yes yes...I know, it is exactly the way I described above. But bear with me.

So, our hero tracks our heroine’s travel itinerary and keeps in touch with her through the telegraph office. Totally impressed with his ingenuity, she returns - when her pop thinks it is safe - to be reunited with her lover.

But one look, and our heroine-made-wiser-by-travel realises that distance makes hearts grow fonder and that reality is not as sweet - or handsome.

So, she avoids him like cholera...err...plague, and marries an eligible doctor. They are happy as many married couples are, getting used to each other though not in love. And with the usual ups and downs.

All this while, our hero has a strange way of nurturing his love for her. He starts a series of ’’affairs’’ sleeping with women but never marrying any.

If I tell you more than this, it will kill the suspense. Why love, why in the times of cholera...you read it and find out.

The book is very well written with no sagging moments. The characters are not stereotypes. The heroine is as worldly as one can be, and the hero as obsessed. The author obviously knows the character types well and has portrayed them true to life. He reveals a deep knowledge of human behaviour and relationships. It is a great novel to read. Don’t miss it.

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