RATING GUIDE:
5 – A keeper!
4 – Very good
3 – Passable
2 – I’d rather read
a telephone book
1 – An absolute bomb.
Read at your own risk!
0 – Nothing will compensate for what I lost reading this
book
Gone are the days when romance meant flowers and
chocolates, and walks along the beach on a moonlit night while holding hands
with your special someone. In June
Gray’s “Disarm” at least, the 21st century version of romance
appears to be … sex, sex and more sex.
June Gray’s “Disarm” is the story of two childhood
friends, Elsie and Henry. Elsie and
Henry are forced to live together following the death of Elsie’s elder brother,
Jason, who happens to be Henry’s best friend.
The problem is, Elsie and Henry have long been attracted to each other,
and this attraction finally erupts into full-blown passion right before Henry
leaves for an overseas assignment.
Elise patiently waits for Henry’s return, expecting the
two of them will resume their love affair once he gets back … but Elsie is
thrown for a loop when Henry unexpectedly puts an end to their
relationship. Will Elsie fight for her
love for Henry or move on?
Generally, I don’t enjoy reading
books that are heavy on sex scenes. I
prefer reading books that are more focused on plot and character
development. However, thankfully,
“Disarm” has both elements. At least,
in this book, sex is presented as a by-product of the love shared between Elsie
and Henry, which grew out of a long and deep friendship. Elsie and Henry are PEOPLE, and not just
animals in heat.
The most satisfying part of the
book was when Gray told the story from Henry’s point of view. I wonder if Gray planned to write this book
this way at first, for this portion is very different from the way the story is
told (i.e., from Elsie’s point of view).
Personally, I think I would have enjoyed this book more had it been told
from Henry’s point of view. It was in
Henry’s portion of the story that I learned about the characters’ history and
felt some form of empathy for them.
Elsie’s portion of the book just reads like a mashup between a Harlequin
romance and porn (quite boring to me).
As a Filipina who isn’t in her
twenties anymore, I found it quite difficult to relate to Elsie --- but I guess
that’s the generation gap at work.
Perhaps, the twenty-something Filipina with more liberated views (or at
least, raging hormones) will have a better appreciation of this book.
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