Joy & Survival

Joy & Survival (From Siberia With Love)

by Ilana Cohen

1 out of 5

Synopsis
In the middle of her life, Edith falls for a married man from the other side of the world. The impulse and passion he has brought to her world will turn her life upside down.
Edith is an ordinary woman who carries a bitter sense of having missed out on life. After her husband dies, she invests herself in her day job at the bank when, one day, she is paid a visit by a handsome, mysterious man who will change her life forever.

Alex, a charismatic and brilliant scientist of Russian origin, immediately dazzles Edith with his wealth, achievements and style. She listens attentively as he narrates the memories of his childhood in Siberia - a previous life in a distant world, hard to imagine and impossible to ignore. Edith is blinded by his shimmering presence, but Alex is married.

>>>An invisible thread connects the two strangers who have been brought together by destiny - but for what cause?

In Alex, she finds an escape from reality - into the distant and foreign landscapes of alienated and frozen nature. It is within this distant, almost imaginary landscape that she is able to find herself, for the very first time. Within the stories of this perfect stranger, who has grown in the other side of the world, Edith finds a familiarity and a precious sense of belonging. What will she be willing to risk for this frozen love?

˃˃˃ An exciting novel about untainted love, sweeping emotions, faith and passion that will sweep you of your feet.


Review
Edith is dissatisfied with her life, but the men she meets makes her think she can have more.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

For the most part, this read like a Wikipedia page of Edith's life. Telling you the major events, telling you key background points, and skipping forward a decade to the next point of interest.

We meet her in the Eighties (I guess, as it's never expressed for definite). We know she lives with her husband, two children, and mother-in-law. We have no idea how old she is, or get any real sense of who she is.
We are told that she loves her children. We are told that she finds her mother-in-law overbearing. In a single sentence, we are told that she is dissatisfied with her marriage and that her husband is feeble because he was brought up by said overbearing mother-in-law.
So, obviously she's a perfect young lady, who has an excuse when her head gets turned.

The first man to "distract" her is Janusz, a handsome and charming man in his fifties, who moves into town with his wife, to be the resident dentist.
Edith quickly forms an attachment to him, and spends as much time as she can with him, even strolling around town with her children in tow. Janusz's poor ignored wife isn't mentioned. Edith's poor ignored husband isn't mentioned.
Then a page later Janusz - in his sixties - has a heart attach and dies.
We are told that Edith is distraught, though the other locals don't know why she's so upset over the death of their dentist.

Skip a decade.
Edith works in a bank and meets a guy called Alex. There's some computer talk and weird possessiveness.

Skip a decade...

This story is supposed to be about an ordinary woman, and her affairs with married men.
Ordinary is fine, I have no problems with an ordinary main character. What I struggle with is that I know all the facts about Edith (and there's also the odd very detailed description over a certain dress, or fabric, or hairstyle etc.), but I know nothing at the same time!
What is the point of her family, if we don't see any interactions?
She strikes me as a very selfish woman. She might have been young when she married, but she has a husband and children, and responsibilities. I never felt that Edith accepted them, or made any effort with them.

Overall, I didn't get the point this book. 
There's no plot.
There's no character.
The narrative is ineffective, and annoyed the hell out of me as I tried to finish it.

I won't be continuing with this series.

Goodreads link
Amazon UK