(Reviewed by JD Jung)
#CommissionsEarned
“Looking back over all those men, all those failed relationships, she came to one conclusion. She should never have loved them as much as she did.”
Rose is almost fifty, divorced, with grown kids. Her past has made her strong and resilient, though she does suffer from a drinking problem. After work she likes to frequent the Royal bar, often meeting her best friend, Marie-Jeanne. Both claim that they have had enough with men.
In fact, an incident from a prior relationship prompted her to buy a .38 caliber revolver from a U.S. website. She carries this gun with her everywhere as it provides her with a great sense of security.
We are with Rose at the Royal when she meets Luc, not from the usual pick-up situation, but from an unfortunate circumstance. What later ensues keeps us entangled in this short French noir story.
Though the title states that this is “A Love Story”, this is not for romantics. It’s the type of love story that I enjoy indulging in, which is gritty and unsentimental.
At under one hundred pages, Rose Royal was a welcome diversion.
