By Jimi David

One of the deepest emotions mankind would ever experience is love. When in love with someone, neither of the parties can do any wrong. Initially, it would seem like both parties are in paradise. But when love goes sour, life becomes a bunch of hell to either or both parties, who might end up in bitter recriminations.

Major causes of heartbreak in relationships include breach of trust, infidelity, physical, psychological or emotional assault, and loss of interest. Some relationships when gone awry often degenerate into extreme violence, and in most cases, leading to death.

In Nigeria, love gone sour between intimate partners is mostly responsible for the increase in homicide cases. A recent report indicates that a woman is more likely to be killed by an estranged lover or husband than anyone else. Between January and June 2020, more than 40 cases of domestic homicide were recorded in Nigeria, with six in the month of June alone.

This definitely does not augur well for society. The family is the bedrock of society and if it fails, the human race is in trouble. Perhaps, it is such negative development that prompted the new book, To Love & To Cherishes authored by a psychologist, social worker, and motivational speaker, Oluseyi Gabriel Akinyemi. The 66-page book is published by Greenlife Publishers (UK).

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A romantic thriller, To Love & To Cherish, is plotted in such a way that it spans two generations: parents and their children’s generations. In the opening story, the book chronicles the dysfunctional backgrounds of Etim Jr. and Cherish who are heroes and heroine in the novella. Etim’s mother, Alice is unlucky in love having been battered and bruised by her first love who happens to be Etim’s father.

Aside from the fact that Etim’s dad (Senior) abused Alice physically and emotionally, he left her stranded by eloping with a strange woman. Cherish’s case is not different. Her public figure father, who craved a male child, abandoned Cherish to her mother. However, in spite of their dysfunctional backgrounds, fate brought them together. They became husband and wife. But sooner than later, their past caught up with them. And their hitherto fastidious relationship was headed for the rocks. How did they surmount the obstacles and shame the devil?

To Love & To Cherish is a story of dysfunctional families, betrayal, abuse, marital crisis, and love. Written in simple, free-flowing prose; the stories are educative, interesting, entertaining, and illuminating. Beyond romance and the agony of love, the author adequately dealt with worrisome issues affecting the society like cultism, drug and substance abuse, as well as rape and domestic violence.

Though, bereft of suspense, To Love & To Cherish is a simple romance story well told from psychological and sociological angles. There is also a need to improve on editing in subsequent editions. This notwithstanding, the author, Oluseyi Gabriel Akinyemi did a good job. Indeed, To Love & To Cherish is a book to read by those in search of love lessons.

Vanguard