Spleen of Love : A Novel

Her lips say it all, their corners pull down. She conveys disdain, resistance, an inner turmoil; and with the revolution of her desires she needs to transfer words, she has not yet put to paper... A gifted and zealous writer living in South Africa, Zen meets the enigmatic and complicated Sola, an angst-ridden poet, in a creative writing class. Abandoning his wife, he falls in love with Sola, and the two begin a stormy, erotic relationship. Despite being married herself, Sola is drawn to Zen and asks to meet him at a public library. But the unthinkable happens. A violent earthquake destroys part of the library and Zen drags Sola out of the rubble, saving them both from urgent death. When they discover that the earthquake is only a harbinger of a bigger natural disaster to come, the two flee to Cape Town and eventually to Egypt. But more danger awaits. While touring the local antiquities, terrorists kidnap Sola and it is up to Zen to free her...if it isn't too late. A tumultuous tale of passion, danger, and the forbidden, Spleen of Love explores the chaotic lives of one man and one woman in the midst of upheaval.