Name: The Man I Love
ISBN: 9780578446370

Suanne Laqueur

A young couple and their circle of friends navigate through emotional upheaval in the wake of a shooting on their college campus.

The Man I Love

"A watershed moment exists in every man's life, Fish—the moment when you stop being your mother's son and start being your lover's man. When you transition from protected to protector." Erik "Fish" Fiskare is only a college junior when a gunman walks into the campus theater, intent on stopping the show. From the lighting booth, Fish sees his girlfriend, Marguerite "Daisy" Bianco, get caught in the line of fire. Everyone runs away from the stage but Fish, in a watershed moment, runs toward it. Spanning fifteen years, The Man I Love explores how a single act of violence reverberates through a circle of friends. At the center are Fish and Daisy, two soul mates who always brought out the best in each other. Both are hailed as heroes after the shooting, yet the tragedy starts to bring out the worst in them, tearing the circle apart. Soon, Fish is running again—not toward Daisy this time, but as far away as possible. But can you really leave the one you were born to love? And is leaving always the end of loving? "You never got over her, Fish. You just left. You may think that's closure, but it isn't. You may think a woman like Daisy comes along twice in a lifetime, but she doesn't." Fearlessly touching on today's social and mental health issues, The Man I Love follows Erik Fiskare's journey back to the truth of himself and a woman he can't forget. With its gripping story and an unforgettable cast of characters, this epic novel of love and forgiveness lingers long after the last page is turned. "A new kind of romance, well-crafted and intelligently written. Suanne Laqueur deftly explores what it means to be vulnerable, resilient and human." "A compelling, heartfelt, intense read. The Man I Love raises important and tough social topics that are relevant and timely." "An intelligent, perfectly-pitched modern romance. NOT your typical boy meets girl, but a story of first love and how people handle extreme situations." "The Man I Love looks love, sex, depression and PTSD in the face and calls them by name. An astounding journey of forgiveness and recovery." "Laqueur combines the dynamics of a circle of friends with a school shooting. The result is The Man I Love, a gripping, angsty psychological romance that explores second chances at first love. Book clubs will find plenty to discuss in this coming-of-age emotional journey of forgiveness and recovery. The characters are flawlessly crafted and deserving of love after tragedy. You'll be thinking about them long after you've finished." "From university to adulthood, through love and loss, devotion and betrayal, estrangement and forgiveness, the Fish Tales series will bring you on an emotional journey of love and truth."

Siya S

3.5 stars

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It took me forever to finish this book. I started at some time around September last year and I just finished the book like yesterday. I was bored at being bombarded with beautiful proses around love and relationship between two main characters so I gave it a break. I felt like it was going nowhere so I didn’t bother pick it up again for a very long time. It’s only now that I felt like I should’ve finished what I had started just to clear out my reading list that I decided to pick it up where I left it last year and, you know, got it over with already. 

The Man I Love was a complex story about relationships; between man and woman, between time and place, between mind and body…all thing interconnected in a way that takes a man his lifetime to figure out. The story revolves around Erik Fiskare and his relationship with Daisy Bianco, an enigmatic dancer he met in his youth. Their love for each other was catching fire; it was lustful, passionate and real. When James Dow walked into the theater with a gun in his hand, shooting his friends, taking away things he ever held dear, Erik would have to go through the ultimate challenge of his life to reinvent himself from the ashes and to finally understand what it’s like to fight for the things he loved. 

It was a difficult book to read and to write about because it deals with difficult theme; love, sexuality, relationship, and physical and mental trauma. The narration is extremely beautiful but at the same time excruciatingly slow. I, for one, would be highly appreciated if it was 100 pages shorter. The writing itself was elegant, and the story was crafted with a strong foundation of dedicated researching works. It was highly detailed, with a very insightful glimpse into the life of a person with PTSD. 

I personally really like the ‘AFTER’ section when Erik started his session with Diane and finally dealt with his own demons. It was an amazing experience to read such things, because it was then that I realized I had A LOT in common with Erik in terms of dealing with challenges and traumas. I felt connected, thus the book felt more real to me by 100 degrees. Laquer did an extremely good job on that part. 

Besides psychology, there will a lot on ballet, theatrical arts and basic human relationship. A lot of sex to tutus and pointe shoes, all the way to drugs, betrayal and Swedish ginger cookies. You don’t even have to like any of these to enjoy this book. Great for a book club, and anyone who’s in the mood for a well-crafted story of life, and what it’s like to be a person dealing in a world of bittersweet happiness and sorrow.

The Man I Love

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