“This Distance We Call Love” by Carol Dines

This Distance We Call Love

Carol Dines
Orison Books (2021)
ISBN: 978-1949039221
Reviewed by Diana Coyle for Reader Views (01/2023)

In Ms. Carol Dines book, “The Distance We Call Love” we embrace different people going through varying situations that life throws at them. With each story, the characters learn to either accept what’s happening in their lives or to adapt to change because of their changing circumstances. Each story presents the adaptability or lack of adaptability people must face in their individual lives and what the ultimate outcome is based on how they react to their unique situation.

The first thing I want to mention was how well the author told these remarkable stories. Each story written presented different circumstances that each character learned to deal with – good or bad. I found this writing style to be raw and engaging. Each character showed their uniqueness, and either adapted to their circumstance presented to them or didn’t.

Another factor I loved was each story centered on real-life situations such as personal losses, grief, fears and insecurities, to just name a few. The characters were extremely believable, and each story played out before my eyes as if I was another character in it. I found myself rooting for some characters and worrying for others based on their unique situational reactions. They characters became real to me as I invested my time getting to know them as if being people I met in real life. I wanted to see them happy, and I had hoped each would have a sense of well-being no matter what their outcomes turned out to be.

I enjoyed how Ms. Dines wrote multiple short stories, which made it a pleasure to read in short allowances of time I had throughout my day. Writing these short stories in this manner also allowed me to get to know a multitude of different characters in a short timeframe. When an author can introduce multiple characters without confusing their readers is a true talent in my eyes. I loved getting lost in the stories, seeing how each character was dealing with their situation and the final outcomes that came to be for each situation. This allowed me to enjoy each characters’ growth within the story – which didn’t always allow for positive growth, which is so true to life for every person.

Overall, I really enjoyed these short stories. I would say this book fits best for mature teens and adults, as some topics might be too serious for younger readers. Well done, Ms. Dines!