LITTLE LOVE by HERBERT KASTLE

 LITTLE LOVE

by

HERBERT KASTLE

THE BLURB:
Nick Leib walked into the shop and saw her.

She was about half her age but the tingling in his groin told him that wasn't going to mean a thing.

It began as a novelty, like the toys he carried in his sample case. But little by little- as they clung to each other in bed, and played hell with each other out of it- he had to admit that things were getting more than a little serious.

Then he knew he had to keep her at all costs.

THE REALITY:
This 1973 beauty has been described as a bit of a trashy novel- up there with the likes of Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins- and it is! And it's fantastic! This is the second time around with this one for me- I first read it thirty years ago, when my mum found it at a jumble sale and presented it to me. It didn't disappoint then, and it didn't now. My one dislike was in the proofreading (mistyped words, letters left off and a totally wrong word obviously used, and it wasn't hard to work out what should have been typed), and I totally loved the fact that our Little Love, Ellie, shares the same birthday as me. Little things please little minds, etc...

This, to me, is a sad, heartbreaking book. We've all been there and pursued a relationship which would be better left alone, but sometimes the physical draw is just... too much to resist. And why should you? Chemistry is not a bad place to start when building a relationship. But... this pair are a car crash couple. Why, oh why, can they both not take a step back, have a think and be honest about what they want from each other? And why can't they commit properly and not (spoiler alert) sleep with other people during their romance, although the way sex is used to mask insecurity, and also as an act of revenge is discussed in a somewhat raw manner. The affairs of this couple's hearts come across clearly, destructively and painfully, as does Nick's descent into pathetic obsession, and that's good penmanship. Nick's profession is as an inventor of toys, and I like the way he compares the things he goes through to a game.

The writing was very much of its time and excellent, with the characters and their background stories fully and skilfully explored, and we learn the effect abuse can have on an individual soul. I loved the playground of the east coast of the USA (I've been to New York and Florida, too) and the way the customs and culture of that time and place were described.

The lengths Nick will go to to keep his girl are astonishing and violent, and his behaviour when he does have her questionable- it's almost like he only wants her when he can't have her, although we are assured this is not the case. When Ellie, at the end questions how he got away with all he did, we have to ask that too (although I'm glad he did- I have a special ball of affection for an anti-hero!) About the time of my first read, I had a long, drawn-out break-up with someone, and I think we can all relate to that guts-shot-to-pieces feeling, when it seems like we haven't eaten properly for an age. 

The ending was brief, sad and great, and possibly the only way this heart-rendering novel could go. This one can stay in my bookcase awhile.