Aren and Élise by Ettenig Sayam

The moving and drama-filled novel Aren and Élise by Ettenig Sayam brings two very different people into a post-midlife romance that finds each of them navigating very unfamiliar territory.

When 50-year-old Haitian foreign language teacher Élise falls during a hike in Vermont, she is rescued by Aren, a vibrant 63-year-old engineer of Armenian descent who seems to have found the woman he didn’t know he was looking for. Sharing little in common beyond a history of political violence, the confident and charming Aren woos the shy and reluctant Élise with persistence, romance, and erotic sexual adventure, until the couple encounters trials that will change their lives and test their commitment.

Rich in imagery that reflects Sayam’s knowledge of art, music, history, interior design, and science, the novel is a unique work of romance, given their ages and cultural focus, but its narrative strategy is somewhat confusing. Told from multiple perspectives – Aren’s, Élise’s, and a third-person omniscient narrator – the narrative shifts in point-of-view sometimes happen frequently on a single page, but not consistently, making the book feel a bit choppy and uneven.

That said, the characters themselves are well-drawn and original, so anyone who loves the suspense and intrigue of unlikely love will quickly be drawn into this genuinely engaging work of contemporary romance.

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