One of the few romance novels I have read, and this one is by far the most contemplative and heartbreaking one. I'm not a fan of "rom-commy" written books, (I love rom-coms in terms of movies though!)This being said I like romance novels that dive into how experiencing love shapes and molds characters and overall lessons that love teaches. However, this book goes beyond contemplative. It is grand to know that it was written in the early 40s! So many of the themes it touches on are relevant even today such as the isolation of people within themselves and towards the world. Raif is a man who has long been afraid to live his life, his emotions are idle, and Maria a woman who is so unbashfully herself yet also lives life with constraints comes into his life to brighten it, to show that he is capable of understanding himself and the world.

The way that Raif learns these life lessons through Maria is heart-rending, and I shed many tears towards the end. However there was plenty of dialogue moments where readers can admire how Maria and Raif find solace in each other, compliment and help each other. Ali does an amazing job of introducing the story and ending the story as well through the narrator. Just like the narrator we're finally given a chance into Raif's soul as like him we wonder and read to know more about him, and when we do we embark on a story of a man and his beloved Maria. Please read this beautiful book!

What a beautiful study of character and a relationship. Ali looks at things with such detail and yet I was never bored.

the concept was cute but it was just dragged on way too long. and absolutely no breaks. no chapters, not even a single page break, it numbed my brain. also way to much talk about suicide. didn’t help the stale plot. just made me cringe