No Love Allowed by Kate Evangelista

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I chose to read this book because it is totally unlike what I would normally read or even write. First of all I was struck by the simplicity of the plot, the characters and the style of prose. There was little or no literary embellishments or conceits of any kind - no fairies, angels, paranormal happenings or events of any kind - just a straight forward psychological novel about a young rich kid called Caleb, his wealthy asshole of a dad and an interesting meeting with a young girl from the other side of the tracks called Didi.

The plot actually reminded me a bit of Deepa Mehta's Indian diaspora film Bollywood/Hollywood where the wealthy Indian hero of the story, after the death of his fiance, has to find a fake girlfriend to please his mother and, after some upheavals in their relationship, he eventually falls in love with her. In this book the fake girlfriend is an ex-waitress called Didi who accepts a deal from Caleb to attend a summer of parties in exchange for him acting as her artistic model. Unlike the heroine in Bollywood/Hollywood, she won't take money for the job, but instead asks Caleb to act as an artists model for her paintings.

There are a few interesting and humorous bits in the book - such as when after splitting up with his girlfriend, the father demands that Caleb attends all the firm's summer events in exchange for a gap year in Europe before he goes to Yale. Caleb hates his father but this doesn't stop him from making his Faustian deal with him and prostituting himself in exchange for a year in Europe. Didi is not much nobler in her motives - she accepts Caleb's offer because she finds the experience of a summer of parties with the rich and famous and a hot guy beside her very appealing. She is an artist however and her only price for her services is Caleb posing for her.

Inevitably they fall in love - perhaps too easily and predictibly. There are only one or two small hiccups such as when Caleb's jealous ex girlfriend threatens to expose her and of course when she meets Caleb's father and there is heaps of friction between them.

As I say, I liked the plot and theme of the book which reminded me of one of my favourite Indian diaspora movies. The crossing of class barriers was also a nice touch. But I did miss some of the Hollywood drama, or melodrama, where you are biting your nails and grinding your teeth to see if the couple will really come together in the end. As I say they met and fell in love and ran off into the sunset together a bit too easily and unbelievably.

Still it was interesting for me to read a book that was so uncompromisingly normal and without any otherworldly, parnormal or mythological elements.

I might try it again some time.



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