Everything Love Is by Claire King

           

Blurb: Baptiste Molino has devoted his life to other people’s happiness. Moored on his houseboat on the edge of Toulouse, he helps his clients navigate the waters of contentment, yet remains careful never to make waves of his own.

Baptiste is more concerned with his past than his future: particularly the mysterious circumstances of his birth and the identity of his birth mother. But Sophie, the young waitress in his local bar, believes it is time for Baptiste to rediscover passion and leads him into the world on his doorstep he has long tried to avoid. 

However, it is Baptiste’s new client who may end up being the one to change his perspective. Elegant and enigmatic, Amandine Rousseau is fast becoming a puzzle he longs to solve. As tensions rise on the streets of the city, Baptiste’s determination to avoid both the highs and lows of love begins to waver. And when his mother’s legacy finally reveals itself, he finds himself torn between pursuing his own happiness and safeguarding that of the one he loves.

Reviews: Okay, where do I start? I'm finding it a little difficult to write a review for this book without giving away things that anyone who reads it should discover for themselves, so apologies if this seems a little vague.

Baptiste Molino was adopted minutes after he was born and lived a comfortable life in the French countryside with a man and woman who raised him and provided a loving home. Years later he is a therapist, living on a house boat in Toulouse helping people to find what it is that will make them happy. Ironically, he's not even sure what it is that will make him happy.

As Baptiste slowly feels himself slipping into the feelings of love, he denies himself the reality of this feeling, and refuses to succumb to such feelings. He can’t even bring himself to believe that what he is feeling might be love towards his beautiful client. At the same time he’s drawn to the youthful exuberance of Sophie who works at the inn where he dines at. He’s protective of her, wants the best for her, and she’s really the only one he finds that he can talk to. He of course talks to his clients, but not about himself, or his feelings. She’s a friend who provides comfort. He appreciates her. She listens.

I did find the narrative a little confusing to begin with as it did feel a little disjointed, I found myself feeling lost at the beginning, confused, not seeing where this was going, but then it all begins to come together- as though focusing the lens on a camera, it begins to become clearer and clicks into place and the beauty of the language used and thoughts conveyed were a dream to read. The message becomes clearer, as well. The story and the meaning of the story creeps up on you slowly. This is of course, a story of love, about love, but it’s not what I’d call a love story, as it is so much more than that.

I found it to be really thought provoking in the subjects discussed and so insightful as more is revealed of Baptiste and the struggles he began to face with his health and how those around him dealt with that. 

This is one of those quiet novels that I love to read. It's introspective and the depth of the characters is wonderfully rendered. It has some of the most beautiful descriptions of love I have ever encountered. The love necessary for a successful marriage, love between a mother and child and love between a child and his parents. Absolutely phenomenal. It contains some wonderfully drawn characters, and was a very sweet, poignant, emotional read for me. I haven’t yet been able to bring myself to begin another story; I’m just not ready to leave them behind right now. I’m so delighted that I got the opportunity to end 2016 with such a beautifully written book, isn’t that what all readers want?

Ratings: 4/5 stars.

**Thank you Bloomsbury India for sending us this book for an honest review**

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