The Collage

Though my reading of the ‘romantic suspense’ genre has been limited, I suspect, as with all other genres, that it differs vastly with each author. After reading THE COLLAGE, I have no doubt that author Rene Natan decided to take her own road on this one. While clearly following the standard of romantic fiction, Natan managed to sneak in an amusing undertone of subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor and outrageous plot twists that gave an extra kick to an otherwise predictable formula. Always a good idea, she starts with a murder in the prologue, prompting the reader to continue with the promise of deciphering the truth. But as we move on to the first few chapters, the novel seems to take a more placid tone, as heroine Allison moves back to live on her grandfather’s wealthy farming property, to learn the ropes and ultimately take over for the aging patriarch. With her is her wheelchair-bound husband, Ian, a perfectly nasty antagonist whose oppression of her is palpable. As Allison pets horses, aids the sick at the local medical center, and tends to her grandfather and the other residents of Les Capucines, we begin to forget that she was involved in a murder in the prologue. The saintly perfection of Allison’s sweetness is such that we expect bunnies and daffodils to come jumping off the page. When Marvin, one of her grandfather’s trusted farming employees begins wooing attempts, she resists with the flutter of a damsel with too many secrets to risk her heart, or the heart of another. At this point, we think we know the tone of this novel, and the direction in which it is going. But author Natan is merely throwing down the first, and most necessary coat of paint in what is about to become a multi-layered, abstract.On top of this layer of wistful serenity, just as we’ve started to relax, a montage of outrageous plot details come raining down. Ian, her evil, oppressive husband is actually gay, and having an affair with one of her close family members behind her back. The local police, reopening an old murder investigation, discover a video tape that could send Allison to jail for the rest of her life. People are poisoned, fires are set, mafia assassins cut break lines, and no one is who they seem to be, right down to the secret identity of her husband, Ian. Once the madness starts, we can’t stop reading, as each chapter reveals yet another unexpected turn, leaving us shaking our heads that Natan managed to pull one over on us again. But as complex as this plot becomes, it is weaved together with precision, leaving not a thread left hanging in the end. The humor that I found to be so sharp in this novel has a duality, as it is both outrageous and subtle at the same time. How does Natan do this? Through all of the insane turns, unmasking of characters, and outright shocking discoveries, the serene, romantic, daffodil and bunny undertone remains, a consistent layer beneath it all that serves as a calm pond for these crazed speed boats of plot twist to race across. If this duality was an accident on the author’s part, then she got lucky, because it works. If it was intentional, then it’s truly brilliant, and though I’m not an expert on the genre, I’d bet on unique. This novel is worth the effort to read beyond the detailed back story at the start. The multi-layered plot is kept tight and entertaining throughout, and the suspense and mystery of the tale will not disappoint. June 30, 2004Reviewer: Adrienne Jones