Hardly Ever Otherwise

Painting a tortured picture of lifes harsh brutality in the region, Maria provides an insight into the complicated history of this remote corner of the Carpathian Mountains. Against the colourful backdrop of local traditions and highlanders rites she weaves her story of love, intertwined with a heart wrenching human tragedy, not avoiding intimate details of the anatomy of relationships between men and women. Enchanted by the impeccable style of this family saga, the reader becomes baffled by the characters actions. In the words of Maria Matios the book is about peoples deeply concealed nature. When familiar passions like love and hate, joy and envy overcome them and its not in their nature to resist, consequences reach the catastrophic magnitude. Each character is flawed, detestable, but in the books finale they incite compassion as their painful past is steadily revealed. The eternal dilemma of sin and atonement pervades the pages of this book. The author does not shy away from carnal encounters and masterfully describes the psychology of lovers, accentuating peoples struggles on different levels.