Love

I picked up Love in The Time of Cholera at a book fair in college a few months back. I had heard so much about the book that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Moreover, it had the word 'love' in the title so, hopeless romantic that I am I got to reading it at once. I found it hard to get through the first few pages but after that it was smooth sailing. The story was not what I expected though....
Actually, I don't know what I expected. I myself have never been in love so obviously I don't know what its like but I do believe in the concept of soulmates - where I see myself with one person who will keep me happy for the rest of my life and let me do the same for him. Nothing will ever come between us, our life will be perfect...But of course in today's world, its hard to imagine something like that ever happening. Divorce, extra-marital relationships, death- these are the realities we have to live with today. So I find it hard to imagine that I will ever find what I am looking for- I hope I do find that special someone I really do, but one never knows what God has in store for you in the future. I absolutely love watching movies with happily-ever-after endings because everytime I watch one it kind of strengthens my belief in true love. I know its all make believe but watching other people in love gives me some comfort, especially when i think the same is never going to happen to me.
I guess I expected the book to be closer to my version of love but, it was more realistic. The couple in the book have more than their own share of problems-they fight over the silliest things, they come close to separating, there are times when they can't stand each other and others when they know that without the other person they would never have achieved all that they had in life-they would be incomplete. Running parallel to this is another love story and it is this which perplexes me the most- I really don't know what to make of it. It borders on a kind of obsession (for lack of a better word) and its culmination is not something I am in favour of. Florentino Ariza's love(s) and his methods of staying in love with one woman are unlike anything I have heard of- but then again its probably just my ignorance and lack of maturity speaking. When I finally closed the book, I was left with a feeling of confusion and emptiness. I could not ( and still cannot) understand why the critics had given it such rave reviews because for me more than the style of writing and the themes, it is the story itself which matters the most. It's a very simplistic way of reading a text, I know but I can't help myself.
The book has not affected me so much for me to rethink my notions of love as much as it has made me aware of the fact that love is a more complex emotion than we teenagers think it is. I realise its time I took off my blinkers and learn to see love in all it's different dimensions.