The Drake EquationHeather Walsh
2013
'She's a Democrat, he's a Republican...'
You know when you start reading a book and you're not convinced it's going to turn into anything special and then BAM it gets good? Yes, that was this book. I wondered if the American setting might confuse me (seriously, those politics go way over my head) but I'm pleased I judged this book by it's cover (have you seen how gorgeous it is?!).
Emily is a Democrat working for an environmental non-profit and Robert is a Republican working PR for an SUV motor company. Match made in heaven? I think not. Nonetheless, they fall hopelessly for each other but face challenges that threaten to ruin their made-for-each-other status.
The first thing I loved about this book was the fact that the majority was dialogue-centric. All this dialogue has the intriguing effect of making you feel like you're there on that date with Emily and Robert. I found myself thinking of things I would ask Robert because, let's face it, he seems delightful. It's not all that often that I adore a dialogue heavy book so much but here it works so well. We experience the process of falling in love and getting to know the characters. I liked it. It made for some excellent character development too.
As the description suggests it is an American politics heavy book which, as a Brit, I often struggled to comprehend but the basics surrounding the environment were interesting and it was wonderfully used to create tension (of the normal kind and the sexual kind) between the two main characters.
'It was more like standing on a platform and watching a train slowly pull away.'
I have noticed that many contemporary novels use references to Jane Eyre to develop their characters and to create links between characters. Whilst this is verging on cliche nowadays I cannot deny that it does give me the warm fuzzies. As a lover of Jane Eyre it does make me happy to see the universal nature of the book's themes demonstrated to be universal. If that makes sense. The book also includes references to art, astronomy, psychology and poetry (Dover Beach is quoted which also made me go all fuzzy).
This book is a quiet sort of romance. It is adult and realistic and Emily and Robert are real people. They're plagued by normal troubles and worries and I think it has a quiet power because of that. The Drake Equation is thankfully not a explosive romance fantasy but a subtle and heartfelt love story. And for that reason, I loved it.
Also, this little Star Wars reference (intended or not) I loved:
'I love you, Emily.' She smiled. 'I know.'
Thank you to the author for providing with a copy to review. The novel was launched today, October 10th.
