Review: The Remedy For Love by Bill Roorbach

The Remedy For Love

By Bill Roorbach

Synopsis

“One of the best novels of this or any year . . . A flat-out funny, sexy, and poignant romantic thriller.” —David Abrams, author of Fobbit

They’re calling it the “Storm of the Century,” so Eric stops at the market for provisions on his way home from work. But when the unkempt and seemingly unstable young woman in front of him in line comes up short on cash, a kind of old-school charity takes hold of his heart—twenty bucks and a ride home is the least he can do, right? Trouble is, Danielle doesn’t really have a home. She’s squatting in a cabin deep in the woods, no electricity, no heat, nothing but the nearby river to sustain her. She’ll need food, water, firewood, and that’s just to get her through the storm: there’s a whole Maine winter ahead.

So he gets her set up, departs with relief, climbs to the road, but his car has been towed with his phone inside, and the snow is coming down with historic speed and violence. There’s no choice but to return to the cabin. Danielle is terrified, then merely hostile—who is this guy with his big idea that it’s she who needs rescuing? As the snow keeps mounting, they’re forced to ride out the storm together. For better and for worse.

The Remedy for Love is a harrowing story about the truths we reveal when there is no time or space for artifice.

“The Remedy for Love is not the remedy for sleep deprivation. You’ll stay up all night . . . It is relentless and brilliant. Leave it to Roorbach to tease out the subtlest nuances in the progress of love while stoking a tale that is as gripping as any Everest expedition–and that is also tender and terrifying and funny and, in the end, so true it seems inevitable. I’m not sure there’s another American writing today who can lay down a love story, or any story, with the depth and appeal and freshness of Bill Roorbach.” —Peter Heller, author of The Dog Stars.

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Tina’s Review

Eric is a small-town, still (mostly-not) married lawyer. He is suddenly overcome with a need to provide for and protect this woman he is standing in line behind. The odoriferous, tattered creature at the grocery store is trying to pay for some groceries, but comes up short. Eric covers her shortage, then further pushes by offering her a ride home from the store, which he learns is nearly six miles away, with a winter storm moving in. Then he feels obligated to help her carry her groceries to a cabin tucked WAY back off the road as the weather worsens. This is all happening as the little town is gearing up for “The Storm of the Century” as the meteorologists are calling it. He does more for her, eventually becoming stranded there himself. The cabin is is a summer place. There is zero winterization, no plumbing for water or restrooms, and no electricity.

The cover actually caught my attention, all that blue-white of fresh snow in the moonlight. The book summary was interesting. I’d never heard of or read anything by this author before so I figured I’d be a good candidate for providing an unbiased, honest review.
“Danielle for-now” immediately gives off the impression of a squatter living outside town. Her personality seems to suggest a mental disorder may be at play. The way she speaks and her social skills & manners are odd. It’s almost like a Schizophrenic – Autistic combo. Maybe some dementia. She’s odd. You never know if what she’s telling you is true or make-believe. She speaks of her husband Jim often but parts of her story changes as she tells things.My first impression of this book is that it is strangely written. Some sentences qualify as a paragraph, while other sentences are a single word. The choice of wording and phrasing also, at times, seems… disjointed, erratic, unclear. I found it NOT to be an easy read and comprehension was murky sometimes on the first pass, having to read it once -or more- again.

They are stranded together in this secluded cabin after his car is towed and their “relationship” is extremely dysfunctional. The characters and writing was so chaotic at times, it really was hard to develop any kind of attachment to Danielle and/or Eric. Both are married, but not, but are. (Does that make any sense?) It claims to be a romance, but I really did not feel the love. It was more a bonding of misplaced souls, to me. The plot was fantastic, however; I truly enjoyed the concept. The conflicts, as they arose, were met with satisfactory resolve. The ending was a little loose, but sufficient. I would have liked to see an epilogue that entailed Eric’s marital status. Jim’s situation was predictable though.
Overall, I nearly felt that I needed medication from all the craziness this book contained. It was truly chaotic and challenging to get through. I have to deduct points for the level of insanity, but feel I need to say again that I did not necessarily dislike the characters & I did like the concept. Overall, I’m not sure I would recommend this to the average reader.

Author Bio:

Bill Roorbach’s newest novel is The Remedy For Love, coming October 2014 from Algonquin Books. Life Among Giants, also from Algonquin, is in development for a multi-year series at HBO, and won the 2014 Maine Literary Award in Fiction. Big Bend: Stories has just be re-released by Georgia in its Flannery O’Connor Award series. Temple Stream is soon to be re-released by Down East Books. Bill is also the author of the romantic memoir SUMMERS WITH JULIET, the novel THE SMALLEST COLOR, the essay collection INTO WOODS. The tenth anniversary edition of his craft book, WRITING LIFE STORIES, is used in writing programs around the world. His short fiction has been published in Harper’s, The Atlantic Monthly, Playboy, and dozens of other magazines, journals, and websites, and has been featured on NPR’s Selected Shorts, and won an O. Henry Prize. He lives in western Maine where he writes full time.