The Lover - Silvia Moreno-Garcia - ★★★★

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AUTHOR: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
GENRE: Dark Fairy Tale
RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: An interesting short story focussing on a protagonist who waits for her lover. Not a light romance. More of a dark fairy tale. Well-written. Good for dark short fiction lovers.

Story Synopsis:
Judith’s elder sister Alice has always been the pretty and pampered one, so Judith has always been the one to do the hard labour at their guesthouse. Though luck has never been on her side, Judith can’t stop wishing for love, especially as she knows that her lover will someday come from the forest, thanks to a prophecy.
Soon, two men make an appearance in Judith’s life, both coming from the forest. She wants the first but he ends up marrying Alice. She doesn’t want the second, but he is always around her. As a strange wolf also begins his prowl at the same time, the hunger in Judith’s heart explodes. What will the consequences be?
The story is written in Judith’s third person perspective.


I enjoyed this short story from beginning to end. It has all the hallmarks of Sylvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing – a compelling central protagonist, excellent descriptions and lyrical prose.

It also has all the essentials that make a short story work – a proper story development, interesting characters, the right amount of intrigue, and the perfect ending. At just 43 pages, this story won’t take you too long to read. The pacing is quick, but the proceedings aren’t rushed.

Judith is a great character. I loved the hidden rebellious streak in her, though she has never been encouraged to follow her heart by her family members. It is very easy to root for her, even when she takes some questionable decisions.

I must add that I loved her name! In this era where most stories contain either over-simplified names (Elle, Emma, and the likes) or overly cartoonish names (Ryder, Coriander!?!?), it was great to see a character with a good old traditional yet uncommon name.

I almost didn’t read this story because of the words “wickedly sensuous” in the blurb. The cheesy title also doesn’t help. But the “sensuous” content isn’t overdone. The author keeps the passions more classy than crude.

At its core, this is a story not about love but about hunger. Hunger for affection, hunger for attention, hunger for financial and social security, and of course, hunger for food.

The reasons my rating is slightly lower are mostly trivial. It is easy to see the secrets and guess the direction taken by the story. The characters, other than Judith, are mostly cookie-cutter in style. The cover is also a buzzkill, as it reveals something well in advance. (Though this part isn’t hard to guess even early in the story.) However, I was still entertained and that is what ultimately counts.

Definitely recommended, not as a path-breaking piece of short fiction, but as an entertaining dark tale to be read on a cold winter night by the embers of a fire. (or if you are in India, just read it any time you want. 😄)

This standalone story is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.

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