The Lovers by Vendela Vida

The Lovers: A Novel by Vendela Vida

The blurb:
Yvonne, recently widowed and the mother of grown twins, returns to Datca, the coastal village in Turkey where she and her husband honeymooned twenty-eight years ago.  She hopes to immerse herself in the warm sand and sea, and in memories of a better time in her life.  But her plans are quickly complicated.  Her Turkish landlord and his bold and intriguing wife have a curious marital agreement and are constant visitor in the home.  And rather than being comforted by his memories,  they begin to trouble her.

The Lovers on the surface is the story of Yvonne and her return trip to Turkey.   Seeing the place through her eyes, it is the account of a traveler who notices little details in the house and the town.  Yvonne's observations on her landlord and his formerly estranged wife draw you in.  As Yvonne befriends the couple on a yacht and a young Turkish boy on the beach, these friendships reveal more about Yvonne's past and the complexity of her own life. 

Yvonne's trip to Turkey leads her to an introspection into her marriage, her family, and her life.  It's complex, fascinating and sympathetic.

ISBN-10: 0060828390 - Hardcover
Publisher: Ecco; 1 edition (June 22, 2010), 240 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author:
Vendela Vida is the author of And Now You Can Go and Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, both of which were New York Times Notable Books of the Year.  She received the 2007 Kate Chopin Writing Award and is a founding co-editor of The Believer magazine, and the editor of The Believer Book of Writers Talking to Writers.  She lives in San Fransisco Bay Area with her husband and children.