At A Loss For Words: A Post-Romantic Novel

Normally, I don't wind up wondering if a tale is autobiographical or not; I believe authors can make things up that seem utterly real. And yet, I often found myself pondering just that question as I read Diane Schoemperlen's "At a Loss For Words." A writer re-encounters a past love and they resume their romance, only to have the affair come again to an unsatisfactory ending, one which leaves the writer with a terrible case of writer's block. The story of the relationship is told in journal entries, voicemails, emails, IM conversations and it is perhaps the here-and-nowness of these communications that gives the book such realism. Well, that and Schoemperlen's photographic capture of the lusts, obsessions, depressions and doubts of an show more intense, waxing-wanning relationship. show less

She can't eat. She can't sleep. She drinks too much coffee and smokes too many cigarettes. She can't focus. She's a writer who can't write. She checks for messages several times a day and her disappointment is palpable. What's wrong with her? She's in love. Such is the author's strength that she makes us feel everything her character is going through.This woman's first love has walked back into her life after many years while she's giving a reading in a bookstore. Her euphoria knows no bounds. It's a long distance relationship this time and she just can't get enough of his letters, emails, phone messages or the occasional day or two together. The bad news is that, between the exhilarating highs of passion and devastating lows of doubt show more and fear, she can't concentrate enough to work. This has never happened to her before. She doesn't want to panic but books on writing don't help much with their simplistic though well-meaning suggestions on how to get past the big WB-writer's block. She uses some of their ideas to great satirical effect in the novel, which reads much like journal entries. "Take some swings in a batting cage". "Write in the woods while leaning against a tree". In her mind these become as inane as "Make a paper clip chain six feet long or more." This is the story of words and the power we give to them during the throes of romantic love. We go over every word or phrase the object of our affection says. Was there more there than stated, some unspoken meaning, did he mean it seriously or was it just a casual remark? Is he as commited as he says or just a smooth talker? Our character finds sudden meaning in crossword puzzle definitions or horoscopes, things that emphasize her new feelings or sharpen her worry and pain. It's not long before the reader begins to squirm a little because you've see yourself behaving the same way. She's exposed us all a little, told the unspoken truth about how obsessed or even goofy we can be when we think we're in love. We all have friends who act like this and we know there's little reasoning with them when their under the influence of adoration. We suffer along with her but like our friends we sometimes want to shake her and tell her to get real. The author has done a terrific job, with a slow reveal of the other side of the relationship. I reread large portions just to enjoy the way she uses language. Schoemperlen has several novels to her credit already but the format is different here. Some may not like that it's not a simple narrative but it works for her purposes very well. And some will think the story should have ended sooner but then so should some of our own rides on this rollercoaster of the heart. Four stars out of five.

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This book is a simple story of a writer who is suffering from writer’s block as a consequence of an all encompassing love affair. It is written in a mildly accusatory tone as though the author is talking directly to her lover in the dock of a court trial. A lot of the dialogue begin with the words ‘You said…’ or ‘I said…’ The book takes you through the romantic relationship from the beginning to the end. It is characterised by very few actual meetings and mostly emails. The writer is driven mad by the lack of emotional involvement by her man and it is this that causes her writer’s block.
Initially I was drawn in to this long distance relationship but as the book went on I became mildly irritated by the woman’s intensity show more in the face of her lover’s disinterest (unless it suited him of course). She bombards him with obsessive email and phone calls about her overpowering love for him and this is where reading the book becomes a little tedious. There are only so many words for emotional heart wringing and they are all used here. This is a book for women and I did enjoy the author’s flow of words and the piecemeal revelation of small bites of information. I would definitely look out for more work from Diane Schoemperlen show less

This Canadian author, who I have previously admired for her innovative fiction style, did not impress me much this time. Detailing the rise and fall of a relationship thirty years after a teen romance, she portrayed her ideas in a stream of consciousness style which was definitely effective. The reader is shuffled through random thoughts and ideas on overcoming writer's block, living in the head of a forty-something woman obsessively attached to emails and the internet during her long-distance relationship.

Some of her prose was very evocative of the love pangs we all feel when falling in and out of love. But some of it was too much, too gushy. It felt like the book was marketed to a shopping aisle romance reader at times. I was show more disappointed after her great earlier pieces. Maybe I just was not in the mood. show less

At A Loss For Words is a very original story in form and in style. The un-named main character shares with us her reconnection with a former love from 30 years ago, through her thoughts and letters to him, and her trouble with writer's block.

This is a quiet and sweet love story. I really liked how the characters expressed themselves through email, the discussions they had, and the stories they shared. The style of writing used is so beautiful, it's not something I have encountered previously. I really liked seeing the main character's daily life, visiting with friends, seeing a sign in a playing card or a horoscope, and the lists she found in books to help with writer's block. And, after awhile trying not to think about him, when he show more didn't respond back to her emails or wondering what his ... meant.

After awhile I felt the main character got a bit whiny and a bit obsessive which made it a little harder to read. And then, something happened which gave me a whole new perspective on the story. I thought I had the story all figured out and then this revelation took me by surprise! It was so great and I did not see it coming!

This is a sweet love story with a beautiful writing, an original concept and a great twist! show less