The Bracelet by C.A. Deslauriers is a romance novel with an emphasis on the life and emotional journey of the woman in the pair, Christine. Christine has recently written a memoir of her life with her true love, Jay, and spends the bulk of the novel recalling the path her life has taken to the present moment. The arrival of a mysterious, yet all-too-familiar box sends Christine into a tailspin of memories as she revisits the pain of her childhood, the joy and sting of first love, passionate encounters, loss, and self-discovery.
The cover of the novel sets up the tone of the piece rather well. It is a simple, black background with a focus on the bracelet and its single charm. The word “lukewarm” becomes almost a mantra to Christine throughout her life, something she has achieved and yet wishes to exceed. The cover is as elegant as the prose by Deslauriers. The story is told in a simple manner that is easy to follow and allows the emotion to shine through.
The formatting and editing were acceptable; however, there were a few places with missed periods and grammar mistakes. At the beginning of every chapter is a quote from another piece of writing titled The Prophet. These quotes were interesting, but pull the reader out of the story somewhat, as they are bolded and italicized, making it easy to lose the flow of the narration. Especially since, sometimes, the first paragraph of the chapter was also bolded and italicized. In addition, the entire book is written in third person, except for one chapter, which switches to first person.
The Bracelet is a fast, simple, enjoyable read. Traveling back through Christine’s memories is like a whirlwind of emotion and discovery. It is a very poignant look at what passion is and how it can affect a person’s life, as well as the absence of passion and the harm that can do to relationships and a person’s state of mind.
eternally learning 