The course of true love never did run smooth, at least according to Shakespeare. He should know: many of his most memorable characters were the ones with the most turbulent romances, from Romeo and Juliet to Beatrice and Benedick.
Maria Realf
In fact, for centuries, the greatest love stories of all time have been filled with complicated relationships – be it Pip’s devotion to the icy Estella in Great Expectations, Jane Eyre’s feelings for the married Mr Rochester, or pretty much everyone in War and Peace. And, let’s be honest, that’s exactly how we like it. Imagine how different Pride and Prejudice might have been if Elizabeth and Mr Darcy had met online, clicked instantly over a coffee and settled down to live with 2.4 kids in a suburban semi.
When it comes to romance novels in particular, readers want to feel something: the drama, the heartache, the longing, the passion. How can we be sure that two characters are soulmates unless their love has faced more obstacles than an outdoor assault course? The more hurdles the relationship has to overcome, the more we find ourselves investing in it emotionally. It’s the literary equivalent of no pain, no gain.
Hollywood, too, seems to have taken note, swapping the saccharine for the bittersweet. Forget the hearts and flowers: films such as La La Land, Manchester by the Sea, Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name have all captured love in its complex, fragile and heartbreaking glory. It’s a far cry from the romantic movies of my youth (I’m talking about you, Pretty Woman/Clueless/She’s All That), when a makeover was enough to bring two polar opposites together, ensuring everyone lived happily – and stylishly – ever after.
When I set out to write my own romance The One, I wanted to create something that reflected the roller-coaster nature of love: the highs, the lows, the tears, the laughter, the secrets and the dilemmas. My heroine, bride-to-be Lizzie Sparkes, is happily planning the wedding of her dreams when the one that got away walks back into town with a bombshell. As the clock ticks down to the ceremony, she is forced to make a choice that will change her life for ever – but how does she know which of her two great loves is really The One?
There are no easy answers for Lizzie in this book – just as there often aren’t in the real world – and I hope that her story will keep you guessing until the end. Because if the course of true love were indeed to run smooth, the journey would be far less interesting…
Maria Realf’s debut novel The One will be published digitally and in paperback by HarperImpulse on Thursday 22 March, and is available to order here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Maria-Realf/dp/0008278962/
