The Lover: A Short Story

Warning to those who have read this story – apologies for multiple puns and double-entendres.

I loved this beautifully written, totally grim fairy tale.

Two strangers come to town at the same time, one a hunter (Hunter Stranger) obsessed with catching a large wolf he has been tracking in the forest, the other a vagrant wolf in disheveled clothing (Wolf). Two sisters rival for the love of Hunter Stranger. More beautiful, and recently widowed Rich Sister (RS) wins out. RS paid her dues, sticking to the ugly old geyser (OG) she married until he croaked. OG left his widow (RS) with a shop, an inn, a tavern, and a lot of loose change. Hunter Stranger seizes the opportunity and marries pretty young widow sister. Other sister is jealous of show more RS, but must play the part of Cinderella Sister (CS) to earn her keep. Wolf buys a lewd book from book peddler after the latter refuses to sell it to CS. Wolf claims his reward, pawing at CS, stealing a kiss, and trying to make it to third. CS rebuffs Wolf, but he keeps sniffing around. Despite her rejection, CS remains friends with Wolf and brings him bread and fruit preserves and other fancy stuff (forgive me PP&M), pilfered from RS’s shop. Hunter Husband of RS likes to play the field, hitting one home run after another, particularly with CS who believes the drivel he spews. Once CS realizes she’s been played she exacts her revenge together with Wolf in a deliciously twisty ending.

No frogs or other animals died in the writing of this review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories - I see now that it is available free to KU subscribers. Enjoy! show less

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.

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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

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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. show less

What happens when a prophecy goes wrong or is misunderstood?

When Judith thinks she has found the man who will be her lover, her sister snatches him up first. But that doesn’t stop the forbidden love or or her choosing the wrong lover. Also, the actual lover was supposed to be charming and disarming, but he just came off as a creep.

I never felt for the two's illicit affair. Most of the attraction stemmed from Judith's resentment against her sister and just wanting something/one to call her own. Nathaniel felt shady and loserish.

I liked the ending, and I wished it could have leaned more into it earlier, but I understand it's a short story.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook through Amazon First Reads.

Thoughts: This was a decent quick read that is a twist on the classic Red Riding Hood fairy tale.

The story follows Judith who is jealous of the marriage of a visiting hunter to her beautiful sister, Alice. However, Alice's husband starts to turn away from Alice and come to Judith for his hungers. Then there is the strange man that visits Judith at random times and the huge wolf that haunts the woods. Will Judith be able to run away with the hunter in the spring, or will some of them not make it through the winter?

This was a decent enough story. I enjoyed the description and bleak winter setting. I also really loved the ironic twist show more at the end of the story. I don't have a ton to say about it, it was a quick read and well written. Kind of a fun read as we head into the winter months.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a well done, quick fairy tale retelling. I enjoyed it and am glad I read it. I have been finding that I enjoy Moreno-Garcia's short stories more than I enjoy her full length books. If you are looking for a dark, quick, somewhat erotic, fairy tale retelling in a winter setting, this is a decent one. show less

Dark and bitter, but oh so lovely.

I am obsessed with this short tale- and I want more. What a beautiful fairytale- it had a sense of the brothers Grimm, and is candid and real. I loved it.

The Lover is the first story I've read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I liked it. However, it did feel like it ended when it started to get really good. I would have loved to read more, to find out what happens next for Judith. This short story is well-written and interesting, it just lacked something to really get my interest up. I'm looking forward to reading the books I've got by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

An absorbing fairy tale style story for adults, with darkness and hope. Sometimes a granted wish is not what you expect.