Back to Libri e Emozioni Annie West, the famous Australian writer, with “Reunited by the Greek’s Baby”, another novel that makes our romantic hearts throb again.
Those who are fond of the West, know that her books are generally distinguished by innovative situations, certainly romanticised, but not impossible, often, to live even in real life.
However, whatever the circumstances, daring, breathtaking, common or imaginative, the protagonists of the writings of Annie West are always women, seemingly fragile women who hide instead a strong personality, thanks to which they eventually manage to tackle with the most invalidating problems.
“She’d been uncharacteristically short-tempered since he arrived in London (…) It felt as if the world conspired to make her fall in with his wishes.”
The couple of this story is formed by Isla and Theo and the story starts with a legal tragedy that hits their lives, destroying them completely.
Isla finds herself alone, forced to roll up her sleeves and rebuild herself and her own existence, forced to forget the man she loved with all of herself… but can you really erase from your mind and your heart the love of a lifetime? The answer is “no”, and Isla is surprised to think of Theo, to the reason for his attitude towards her, what really can have happened, that clashes so much with the sweet and passionate man she knew. She thinks she glimpse his face in the crowd, to see his figure around every corner until the day that ghost materialises again and unexpectedly before her.
“Had he expected her to welcome him with open arms? She might have been naïve once, but she’d had a fast-track lesson in reality.”
Theo actually finds an Isla different from the one who remembered and loved, an emaciated woman, distraught, confused by a truth that concerns her and that still she does not know. He is baffled by the thought that she may have believed the tabloids and he is concerned about her appearance suspecting that she has serious health problems. But Isla is not sick, she is pregnant and what would have been wonderful news for the two, in the idyllic times of Greece, is now a source of doubt and uncertainty: Can she believe the story Theo told her? Must she follow the attraction she still feels for him? And above all, is it fair that she acknowledge him as a father?
“Theo read amusement in Isla’s face, as if she were too sophisticated to take the idea seriously. But she couldn’t conceal the throbbing pulse at her throat or the way her hand shook (…)”
So what will be Isla’s final decision? Will she and Theo manage to overcome the vicissitudes that have overwhelmed them and rebuild their love, laying the groundwork of a real family to raise their child together?
Meanwhile, Isla has kept on living, she has had to lick her wounds and has been helped by the affection of her friends, such as Rebecca, without considering that other men obviously find her desirable and gather around her. Theo has therefore no easy game and every ending that the reader can imagine is therefore legitimate.
My suggestion is to read “Reunited by the Greek’s Baby” by the talented Annie West, to find out what fate has in store for Isla and Theo and what will become of the little innocent that she is carrying.
Paola Bianchi
