Coincidences by Maria Savva
Description
Secrets, lies and coincidences abound in this
story of a young girl looking for her father. Alice, now twenty-one years old,
is determined to find her father who left home when she was just a baby,
despite a warning from her mother that she should not look for him. Her mother's
secretiveness over the subject is because of the guilt she feels about keeping
the truth from Alice. It will take all of Alice's courage to persevere in her
search. There are doubts and uncertainties at every turn. Coincidences is a story about following your dreams and staying on
the path no matter how difficult the circumstances may become.
Review
Coincidences is a very interesting and thought
provoking story centering around a young woman's search for her identity. Alice
begins by merely trying, against the objections of her mother, to locate her
father. He had abandoned them both when she was a baby. An old and haunting
faded photograph of her smiling father holding her in his arms is one of the
few bits of information she begins with. Little does she know her endeavor will
lead her down a road of layer upon layer of deception and deceit. Just about
when she thinks she knows who she is, she discovers a whole new realm of hidden
truths.
One of the things I
found interesting about this book is that there's no antagonist in the
classical sense. All the characters involved have some depth of moral
character, and no doubt would view themselves as "good" people.
Nevertheless, they create a situation that turns Alice's life into a living
hell. Their lies, justified in their own minds to "protect" her, only
serve to disillusion and shake Alice's confidence in all her relationships as
she slowly discovers the truth about herself. Like peeling away the layers of
an onion, what will Alice find underneath it all? Will she even be able to deal
with the reality of who and what she is, when she finally gets to the core? And
will there be any silver lining to her investigations, or would she been better
off to listen to her mother and never have started down this path in the first
place?
This unusual work
shows how people, thought they may mean well, can create a web of duplicity
that traps both themselves and all those around them. I admired Maria's honesty
about how people think, and are constantly manipulating the truth to produce
some desired effect. It's so automatic and fundamental to human nature that we
may not even realize it as we're doing it. And more importantly, she shows how
those "short-term gains" often come back to bite us, even if it takes
many years. Maria's insight into human relationships is both entertaining and
educational.
I found Maria's
descriptions of the anguish Alice goes through to be so realistic it has lead
me to question whether she has experienced these things herself, or through
someone close to her. Alice's anxiety, self-doubt, wishful thinking and at
times even her evasion of the obvious are very engaging. This is a down to
earth and a very human story.
After reading this
book, I'm going to have to read Maria Savva's next and more popular work,
"A Time to Tell." I realize that most readers will have read that
book first. I'm sure those who enjoyed "A Time to Tell" will enjoy
"Coincidences" as well. (By Jerald E. Travis)
About the Author
Maria Savva was born
in London on 19th March 1970. She studied for a Law Degree at Middlesex
University and went on to gain a professional solicitor qualification at The
College of Law in London. She qualified as a solicitor in 1996. Maria continues
to practice as a solicitor in London whilst writing her novels and stories in
her spare time.
She
was able to read before starting school, and on her first day at infants
school, she remembers reading a story to another child in the class. Maria was
immediately moved into the second year class, being too advanced for the first
year. She has always been a bookworm and favourite books from her childhood
include, Alice in
Wonderland, The Lion The
Witch and The Wardrobe, and Swallows and
Amazons. By the age of seven Maria had read most (if not all) of the
books in the school library. During her teenage years she read probably all of
the Mills & Boon titles available, and would often help out in the school
library. She then went through a phase of enjoying horror and thriller books.
Authors that Maria admires include Paulo Coelho, Maeve Binchy, Gabriel Garcia
Marquez, Stephen King and Marian Keyes. After reading Paulo Coelho’s book, The Alchemist,
Maria was inspired to try to write her first novel. These days, Maria enjoys
reading all types of books and in particular chooses books to read by less
well-known authors to support fellow independent writers. She enjoys reviewing
books when she gets the time.
Maria
has always enjoyed creative writing. She began work on her first novel Coincidences in 1997 when she found
herself out of work. The positive feedback she has received for her work from
fellow authors and fans maintains her enthusiasm and passion for writing.
Published works: Coincidences
originally published in 2001 and recently released as a Kindle Edition, A Time to
Tell 2006, Pieces of a
Rainbow 2009, Love and
Loyalty (and Other Tales) 2010, Second
Chances 2010, Cutting The
Fat 2011(co-author Jason McIntyre), Fusion
2011, Flames a short story, included
in The
BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology-Volume 1 2011, The Dream
2011, Isolation a short story
featured in The
BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology - Volume 2 2011. She is currently
working on her fifth novel, a crime fiction story.
Links
