The Robe of Love: Secret Instructions for the Heart

"My mind was a washing machine of anxiety, regret and desire." That is the imagery Laura Simms uses in the "Afterword" (Yes, there is also a Foreword) to describe her own state in the midst of a complicated personal relationship experience. Her imagery is mind grabbing as she relates these stories of relationships between men and women from around the world. She resists, what so many storytellers do when they "publish" their stories, translating them to literary style. As a result we are left with the pleasure of hearing the stories as we read them because they are framed for the ear. The lanquage and structure of her telling is true to the oral tradition out of which the stories arise--she honors that. The amazing gift of condensation that sends a flotilla of imagery through our minds can be illustrated by her well crafted opening to the first story. "A handsome prince, who lived in a fortified town by the seas, was told by the elders of his Kinddom that it was time for him to marry. Obediently, he dressed in armor, saddled his horse, and went in search of a bride." I rarely read a collection like this straight through. I couldn't put the book down until I had savored each story.