Everything from imbibing alcohol to surrendering to the power of a persuasive book leaves her feeling hung over and defenseless.

In the meantime, a heightened sense of vulnerability renders her allergic to any mode of letting go. Occasionally, she meets up with Zeno in the Greek restaurant they’ve chosen as their unofficial headquarters to discuss business, but whenever things get too heated emotionally, she simply “logs off.” Once crisis cracks open her resistance, though, she begins to bloom-a process which is a pleasure to witness. As a web site designer, Florence is typical of her generation, experiencing life through the filters of modern technology e-mail and voice mail serve as buffers, making direct contact with other human beings almost obsolete. Though on some level she longs to connect romantically with Zeno, her colleague and would-be lover, she is ruled by fear, and unconsciously sets up barriers. When you look at it this way, it sounds a bit scary.Īt least that’s how Florence, the 25-year-old, super-cerebral heroine and narrator of Monique Proulx’s latest novel, seems to perceive it. As the title of the song would suggest, the key word here is falling, a term my thesaurus equates with sinking, slipping, nose-diving, stumbling-in short, losing control.

While the Big O’s voice coloured the night blue, I pondered the words we use to describe that age-old, distinctly human experience: falling in love. Parental guidance: for 16+ Contains blood, nudity and dark themes.The Heart Is An Involuntary Muscle Monique Proulxĭouglas & McIntyre $24.95 paper 360pp 1-55054-991-XI was lying alone in the dark recently when an old Roy Orbison tune, “Falling,” came on the radio, reaching across time and space to stir up ideas and emotions. It is first and furthermost Victorian Gothic, but can also fit within other genres such as Dark Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery and Occult. * * * The Night of Elisa bound with 30+ pencil illustrations of ornaments, characters and objects and a unique layout. With her health deteriorating, how will she summon the courage and strength to stand her ground? And how far will she go in the pursuit of a dream? Embark with Elisa on this puzzling Gothic adventure set in the late Victorian era, between the world of the Living and the picturesque, melancholic Duskland.

Trapped between the nuances of life and beyond-life, Elisa finds herself struggling for a better tomorrow. He robs her of almost everything she holds dear: her health, her wealth and what is left of her family. Her life becomes a dark, cold, lonely cage the day the devil takes her as his wife. Corpse Bride meets Penny Dreadful Sometimes, life and love can follow the most obscure paths, just as they did for Elisa.

The Night of Elisa by Isis Sousa