Magnetic Reverie by Nico J. Genes is a surreal romance story about a woman trapped between two worlds: her normal life, consisting of her husband, her job and her future, and her dream world, consisting of action and adventure with her new lover Claire. The main character Lana visits this other world in her dreams after a chance encounter with Claire at an airport.
The main thread of the plot is a very interesting and captivating idea. Genes tells two stories and she weaves them together very well. By day Lana is with her husband Greg in Washington, and by night she is with Claire in Slovenia. These places are miles apart and we really get to see the two sides to Lana in both of them. I found myself looking forward to seeing what would happen with her next encounters with Claire and Greg as her sleep cycles change from day to night, and I enjoyed riding through the ups and downs as Lana struggles morally to keep up the two relationships. The downside to the story is that it is a little sparse at times; we spend an awful lot of time inside Lana’s head. Sometimes I just wanted her to get on with it rather than overthinking (and repeating) her ideas.
Nico is not a native English speaker, and whilst her writing is valiant there are some aspects to the work that I disliked. There is an awful lot of telling throughout (‘I enjoyed it also; this shocked me; she was very sad; I’m very possessive’) and this did not allow me to connect with the characters in the way I wanted to. We hear about how great Lana’s husband is, but we don’t really get to see it. Also, the dialogue is too polished to be realistic: it seems very forced at times and unnatural. The point that Lana is trying to make is often repeated, leading to blocks of redundant text, and some of the comments she makes come across a little cliche. It is nothing that an author cannot fix, and like I said her ability to write in another language is noteworthy.
The best thing about this book was the character growth. Lana started off kind of bland and passive, just sitting around waiting for things to happen to her, but she develops into a more interesting character as the story unfolds. As she spends more and more time in the dream world (at the detriment of her real life), we find her wanting to exist in a place where she can’t. She is falling in love with a reverie based upon a real woman, and she is falling out of love with Greg at the same time. The ending sets up well for the sequel: not only about who she will choose but also was the reverie more than a reverie? What will Claire say when she sees Lana again?
Nico has a clear affection for Slovenia, and as such this book is more than just a romance: it is a commentary about LGBT rights and homosexuality in a country which may not be as socially accepting as others (something that many take for granted). This is shown in a conversation between Lana and Claire about halfway through the book where they explore such issues. As such, I think Nico is a brave writer and should be applauded for being a powerful voice amongst her community. Furthermore, I enjoyed learning about the history, customs, cities and stories of a country that I previously knew little about.
Bar from the writing style, this is a book that will please fans of the genre. Its charm far outweighs its flaws, and the premise is so well thought out that it makes for a very interesting read. I look forward to picking Reverie Girl up in due course.