My Sweet Friend by H.A.Leuschel.

            My Sweet Friend by H.A.Leuschel.

"Beyond the façade we were all human, fragile and sensitive to judgement."

Helene conducted research into the consequences of lying and I mean serious lying and this interesting novella is the result. It touches on mythomania, more commonly known as pathological lying, where guilt doesn't exist at all. If parameters exist between truth and fiction, they are so blurred they are unrecognisable.

It is written in first person with two very different narrators: one nice "The Sweet Friend," the other malicious. The story is set in France, mainly in Paris although Alexa Dubois escapes for a break to Biarritz, apparently on sick-leave through exhaustion. It's 2017. Alexa has just started a new job in Paris working with Rosie, Jack, Monique and Marc connected to sales and marketing as an accounts manager.

Initially, Alexa had made a strong impression on all but Monique. Jack fancied her. Rosie just loved her to bits and uses words such as magnetic, captivating, aura and charisma. The boss was positive in stating:"She's almost too good to be true." Monique was the only one to see through this façade:"She gives me the creeps" and "There is something about her I don't like." Clever girl!

We are told that Alexa had been working in America but had recently come from one of the U.K's biggest P.R companies. Her c.v. had been glowing and her references "immaculate." Immaculately attired also, creative and bubbly, it didn't take long for the girls to become inseparable. But then the situation soon changed. Rosie tried to contact Alexa several times about a final document Alexa was supposed to have given Rosie before suddenly disappearing on sick-leave. Alexa was adamant she had sent it then blamed Filipe or Monique for doing the "dirty" on her, perhaps? She even suspected Jack. Rosie confides to her that it didn't look good having time off.

We soon learn that Miss Perfect falls short of the mark. There were punctuality issues and it was acknowledged that Alexa had a short fuse. Rosie, forever the sweet friend at the early stages, defended her lateness to Jack and Monique. Rosie was also sympathetic to Alexa's claim of being stalked by her ex who thought he wanted to destroy her. His calls were "relentless, abusive, awful."

We learn that Rosie's mother had Alzheimers and she was struggling to cover the cost of her mother's care until Alexa agreed to help her out financially but how long would that last? Rosie was grateful but at the same time, she was filled with foreboding and unease. Perhaps instinctively she knew that Alexa wasn't to be trusted? Pity she didn't trust her instincts.

Her fling with Jack ended as soon as he saw through this façade. He called her a "lost cause" and a "damn good liar " and "shallow." This was perfectly true. She used Rosie and poor Rosie had to have counselling sessions to come to terms with this abuse and conquer her insecurities caused by her overbearing, confusing, painful and destructive relationship with Alexa. She told Yvonne that she felt she was "walking through fog sometimes, feeling disorientated." Imagine wishing that a friend had never entered your life! This is how Rosie felt about Alexa.
I spot a moral. Compulsive, lying disorder destroys people and their relationships and this message is clearly conveyed by the writer. Playing mind games and controlling people is a no-goer. Would you let a friend treat you like this? I end on this note.

Can first impressions ever  be trusted? How well do we know our friends and how well do they know us?

REVIEW it by Carol Naylor.

Publisher: Helene Leuschel Publishing 2017. 

 Copyright 2018. Permission must be obtained from the author before any of this article review is reproduced.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Stranger From Lagos by Cyprian Ekwensi

Image
  image courtesy of Google images   Ekwensi was born in Nigeria in 1921. He wrote about the country and people of Nigeria-city life and life in the rural areas. Loko Towns and Other Stories was published in 1966. A Stranger From Lagos was one of the nine stories in that collection.   The writer explores the place of women in society. Lilian is trapped by social conventions. Her fiance treats her like a possession as if he owns her. It is written in third person to allow the writer's thoughts to merge with Lilian's. The protagonist is unable to speak to the stranger in public although it is obvious that there is a strong physical attraction between the two. If Lilian asserts herself she will go against social conventions (for females) and her reputation will be damaged through rife and unhealthy gossip. She will therefore be stigmatised as a loose woman. The story explores her inner conflicts in accepting these "conventions" or flaunting them as well ...
Read more

A Stranger From Lagos by Cyprian Ekwensi Final Part

Image
                                                                    courtesy of Google images Lilian uses her sexuality to liberate as well as attract the opposite sex. Ekwensi uses "wiggled." Lilian had just had her hair done and was wearing very large, loop earrings. This had been done for her lover's benefit. She was conscious of all the eyes watching the two of them. The writer uses the simile: she felt like something projected on a 3D screen for all Onitsha to view. We are told very little about the stranger other than that he was tall and good-looking. We are told he didn't feel embarrassed by all of the attention. He would ruin her reputation...
Read more

A Bit of Singing and Dancing by Susan Hill

Image
Here you'll find 11 varied but intense stories about emotional struggles of ordinary people trying to get to grips with life. For some unfortunates, the adjustment is too great and tragedy is inevitable, something very characteristic of Hill's writing as many of you will already know. A Bit of Singing and Dancing is less dramatic and not quite so tragic. I can stay out here just as long as I like, I can do anything I choose, anything at all, for now I am answerable only to myself. Esme is still coming to terms with her mother's death and her new-found freedom. She is over 50 years of age and has reluctantly been forced into caring for her forthright and domineering bedridden mother for 11 years prior to her death. She had been half-alive satisfying her mother's needs and repressing her own needs and desires. Her mother's death had given her a new lease of life, an unexpected freedom which also attracted fear and bewilderment to someone who had been so sheltered...
Read more