
Ok so this blog entry is going to be a little self-indulgent, but it would be great if you'd just indulge me a little.
A while ago I posted a link to my book on Amazon and used the phrase "Love not, lest ye be loved." The tweet was more successful than many others I'd posted recently so I thought I'd expand on the phrase.
It's something that just came to me one day while I sitting and staring into space, but the more I examined it the fonder of it I became, both as a summary of my novel and also a general warning! I guess it's a bit like “be careful what you wish for” in that respect.
Obviously the style
comes directly from "Judge not, lest ye be judged." This biblical
proverb is written in many ways, you may know it as "Judge not,
that ye be not judged" but I find the earlier form most succinct
and poignant.
The reason "Love not,
lest ye be loved" sums up my novel so well is that the two main
characters both fall foul of it, but in entirely different ways. The
character of Becky falls in love with a man who is significantly
older than her, without realising the true consequences should he
reciprocate that love. On the other hand, Mike has a sense of love
for Becky, more so that of a friend/guardian, but by displaying that
love he inadvertently causes her to fall romantically in love with
him.
What led me to write my
novel was the notion that love and relationships owe as much to
external influence, circumstance and timing as they do to an innate
desire for someone. Do we make the most regrettable romantic choices
at the most trying times in our own lives? Do we allow ourselves to
be blinded by love when we are blinkered to our own unhappiness? Do
we have any choice in these matters or does romantic love simply
strong-arm our doubts into submission.
The moral lesson from
my story could be expressed as "do not allow yourself to fall in
love with someone, without being fully aware of the potential
negative consequences of that person loving you back." Or to put
it more simply, "Love not, lest ye be loved."
Check out 'Milk: A
Modern Love Story' on Amazon using the links below. Why not take a
free 'Look Inside' at the first few chapters. Kindle Unlimited users
can download and read for free.


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