the lover with no name

 This book sent a mix of emotions while I was reading it. Although it wasn’t exactly portrayed in the book, the age different between the characters… like can we talk about it? The lover, of whom we don’t even know his name, is in his mid-twenties and she is 15 and a half??? Like that is absurd. I know times were different but this is a whole case of pedophilia. Anyways. 

The novel focuses more on the racial aspect of their relationship and how the deterring factor for the lover’s dad was her ethnicity. It really brings to life racial segregation.

In a way (ignoring the fact that she is 15 ½ and he is in his mid-twenties), they are both exploiting each other in different ways. She is exploiting him for this money and using his emotional vulnerability to her advantage and he is using her for emotional stability. 

There is so much wrong with this situation. First of all, can we talk about her getting in a random man’s car when he asked her? Like did your parents not give you the “never take candy from a stranger” talk?? Let alone, getting in his car. This is just a recipe for kidnapping, which thankfully did not happen but she was lucky i guess? 

And she is not scared because “from the first moment she knows more or less, he’s at her mercy.” (35)

Which she found out AFTER she got in his car as a 15 ½ year old girl. Which is also quite sad for him but whatever. Even though, the tale is not told to be interpreted as predation and abuse, we can’t ignore the fact that it really IS. 

I think, though, if I were to answer the question of “who is in control” and “who has the upper hand”, at first I would say her, because she isn’t emotionally attached like he is and could leave whenever she wanted, I think, in a way, he inadvertently manipulated her to stay in the relationship until it was up to force for him to marry someone else because she was made to think she was in control and was not trapped that she decided to stay because it was convenient and benefitted her for the money. 

I also think in a way that because he had no name throughout the novel, it was kind of a symbolization of her detachment from him or how he was a lot less important to her than she was to him. Because all he was in her life was her lover and lowkey her money supplier. Which is kind of sad. Really sad actually.

This book, was actually quite depressing for many different reasons and so there was kind of a depressing tone set all throughout reading it. From her personal life with an unstable mother and abusive brother and poor family to the lover being emotionally dependent on a minor and then not even being able to pursue that later was all just so sad. Overall, a sad read but the way it was written was quite fascinating, especially some of the views and reversing of roles. 

But the real question is, would she have stayed in the relationship if she wasn’t in financial need?