A Fling With a Demon Lover [Paperback]

Kelvin Christopher James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Sassela is tired of her fourth-grade students, tired of her mundane life and particularly tired of living with a man she no longer loves. When she meets Ciam, with his lilting accent and a smile that reflects his native Caribbean sunshine, he seems like a balmy breeze in her otherwise cold life. Fifteen years her junior, the free-spirited Ciam is a welcome flirtation until he unexpectedly shows up on her trip to Greece. There they meet a strange otherworldly girl, and Sassela soon discovers that her innocent fling has grown dangerously out of control and that a sinister evil lurks deep within her island paradise.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The central character of Secrets, Kelvin James' first novel, was young, shy, and naive. Sassela Jack, better known as "Sass," is anything but. A New York schoolteacher, she walks out on her live-in boyfriend and heads for Greece, where she takes up with a much-younger paramour named Ciam. Theirs is a relationship of equals. Sass has no illusions about the nature of their attraction. But as Ciam becomes more confrontational, Sass begins to withdraw, leaving the reader to wonder about the nature of his mysterious behavior and the source of her wild mood swings. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In his second novel, Trinidad-born, Harlem resident James (Secrets) spins a charming, textured but not quite cohesive tale in which ancient superstitions impinge on a modern romance. A teacher in Harlem, Sassela Jack, 38, leads a disciplined, regimented life, pursues a Ph.D. in teaching science and is reconsidering her relationship with her lazy live-in boyfriend. After a sweet-talking West Indian student named Ciam Turrin volunteers to dig out Sassela's snow-buried car, teacher and pupil start meeting for coffee. Though Sassela quickly pegs Ciam as far more charming than trustworthy, his company is refreshing. When Sassela is offered a free vacation on the Greek island of Mineros, she breaks up with her boyfriend and takes the trip to clear her mind. To Sassela's surprise, Ciam shows up on the island as well; when he offers his services as tour guide and "bargain slave," the adventuress in her assents. From here the story slows down to the pace of a sun-drenched vacation; Ciam and Sassela stay in a seaside cottage and commence a steamy sexual relationship. Gradually, however, Sasella becomes aware that the island is not the idyll she had expected. A beautiful 10-year-old native girl, Fifina, who seems to possess dark, otherworldly powers, becomes bizarrely obsessed with Ciam. Fifina's capacity for evil (she is a lamia, who lures men to destruction) finally moves the tale into the supernatural realm. James's lilting prose-dense, vivid and musical-is captivating, but the novel is an uneasy blend of horror and myth, not quite succeeding as either.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060928271
• ISBN-13: 978-0060928278
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,395,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kelvin Christopher James has written 2 short story collections and 4 novels, all critically acclaimed, Mooch is his fifth novel. He has been the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in fiction and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in Literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful page-turner, January 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Fling With a Demon Lover: A Novel (Hardcover)

This author really has a unique style. He's not like any author I know -- totally original in his use of language. Book is beautifully written (almost like poetry at times) and sometimes cryptic, but gripping. I also read his earlier novel, Secrets, which a friend raved about after hearing him at a reading, and liked it a lot, too.

5.0 out of 5 stars Caribbean Obeah at work in Greece?, February 8, 2005

By 

Bill Shakes "Avid Reader" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Fling With a Demon Lover (Paperback)

This is the kind of fiction that makes us in the Caribbean proud. Mr. James has given us a masterful suspense story that works at every emotional level. The mysterious Greek characters gave me thrills... that evil little girl. I still have nightmares. I easily give this work the best rating possible. From his website I see that he has many short stories, but i am looking forward with great anticipation to his next novel.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous and Exotic, January 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Fling With a Demon Lover: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book is amazing. The author captures exactly how an independent woman on a solo escapist holiday might feel and behave. The author casts an exotic, and sometimes erotic, and sometime dangerous atmosphere that's just captivating. Write more books, author!