The Distant Shore; Book One: The Stone Trilogy by Mariam Kobras

By Zehra Cranmer

The Distant Shore published by Buddhapuss Ink is the novel of first time author Mariam Kobras in which; secrets are discovered, reunions are formed, desires are met and love promises to save the day, well so it seems. Jonathan Stone receives a letter out of the blue and to his surprise; it is one that will reunite him with his lover Naomi Carlsson who disappeared a good seventeen years ago. Once Stone finds the woman who walked out of his life years ago without providing any reasons, they take a hold of one another and refuse to let go.

As a reader who doesn’t branch out much in the enjoyment of romantic fiction, this novel managed to gratify the need to be submerged in setting. Kobras is a wonderful painter of scenery in words; from the warmth of a beach, we are immediately transported to a cold secluded spot in Norway. The contrasts of these settings become an extension of the characters’ they are representing.

The love between Jon and Naomi is a heady, intense, obsessive, fantastical and terrifying type of love. The characters and events that surround them unravel at an astounding pace as they struggle between a past that is a blur to Jon but full of daemons that Naomi must exorcise in order to move on in her new life with Jon, yet secrets continue to bubble away beneath the surface.

When distancing oneself from the text, what is really left behind is the strong imprint of imagery which is quite poetic at times and seamlessly brought to life. This is a must read if you fall into the romance, thriller category and watch out for the next two installments.