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Intimate Relations with Strangers
A powerful debut novel that blends time travel, fantasy, and mystery to portray a love story set in a post-9/11 America.
Set in a future where the threat of terrorism has seeped into everything, an American soldier finds himself at the vanguard of America's latest war. After a terrorist attack on the White House, America invades an African country in the Sahara. In the desert, the soldier begins to realize that memory itself can be used as a form of terrorism.
Years later, as a soldier in the war, he finds himself thinking a woman who he isn’t entirely sure is real, who had once miraculously appeared when he was growing up and told him of an impossible paradise. He yearns for both the woman and that paradise. In the Sahara, he sees horrors that seem to be the work of demons. After a year of war, his mind and soul are on the verge of collapse; by the time he sees the woman from his childhood marching through the desert, he has no choice but to surrender to his fantasies. In a world devastated by war and terrorism, only she gives him hope. When she again disappears, he is ready to move heaven and earth to find her. However, it is a quest that seems to have consequences for both his soul and America's.
Intimate Relations with Strangers explores the nature of reality, war, and love in such a way that “readers will remember this powerful, fable-like work of protest long after they’ve turned the last page” ( Publishers Weekly , starred review).
Set in a future where the threat of terrorism has seeped into everything, an American soldier finds himself at the vanguard of America's latest war. After a terrorist attack on the White House, America invades an African country in the Sahara. In the desert, the soldier begins to realize that memory itself can be used as a form of terrorism.
Years later, as a soldier in the war, he finds himself thinking a woman who he isn’t entirely sure is real, who had once miraculously appeared when he was growing up and told him of an impossible paradise. He yearns for both the woman and that paradise. In the Sahara, he sees horrors that seem to be the work of demons. After a year of war, his mind and soul are on the verge of collapse; by the time he sees the woman from his childhood marching through the desert, he has no choice but to surrender to his fantasies. In a world devastated by war and terrorism, only she gives him hope. When she again disappears, he is ready to move heaven and earth to find her. However, it is a quest that seems to have consequences for both his soul and America's.
Intimate Relations with Strangers explores the nature of reality, war, and love in such a way that “readers will remember this powerful, fable-like work of protest long after they’ve turned the last page” ( Publishers Weekly , starred review).
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 25, 2010
"In this hallucinatory and unsettling debut novel, America lives in constant fear of terrorism and in a constant state of war. A young boy sees a vision of a girl arising magically out of the ground, and this images haunts him years later as a soldier in Africa as he deals with the horrors of war. A creepy fable for the modern age, David Valentine Bernard's novel is a fascinating intersection of politics and myth."
I've seen a few reviews of this book, both talking about how the book was either terrifying or exhilarating. Personally I found this book to be captivating. Yes, it is odd but once you allow yourself to get past the initial oddities, the writing is beautiful in that it is... different. At no point is any name shared. The book is written with the focus on a few characters, in a God's Eye sort of view but it still feels so anonymous from the lack of names and identifying pieces that are found in every other book. This alone drew me in further, desperate to identify and yet finding it easy to put myself in the shoes of characters I know little about.
Finishing the book left me both exhausted and rejuvenated at the same time; a feat that should not be possible. Perhaps this book is more for those of us with a 'more creative' and 'more open' spiritual awakening, not tied down by the rigid ideals of modern organized religions. Or for those of us who do not believe that one must act in certain ways to be 'patriotic'. The parallels to the 'war' overseas are not subtle though the author strays from using the same locations and such. The novel is set after the events of 9/11 but take it one step further to go past a what-if scenario when the White House is bombed and the current president is killed in the process. The war, the rallying cries of suddenly-patriotic Americans, the generation graduating from high school and enlisting in the military with patriotism at their backs and dreams of heroism at their front.
But that is not what this book is about. It is about love and the things we will do to keep that love. It is about the what-if someone were able to grant you the ability to go back and have a re-do of sorts so that you may save the one you love. It is about the relationships we have with strangers, even though we cannot recognize the connections at first or maybe even at all.
I've seen a few reviews of this book, both talking about how the book was either terrifying or exhilarating. Personally I found this book to be captivating. Yes, it is odd but once you allow yourself to get past the initial oddities, the writing is beautiful in that it is... different. At no point is any name shared. The book is written with the focus on a few characters, in a God's Eye sort of view but it still feels so anonymous from the lack of names and identifying pieces that are found in every other book. This alone drew me in further, desperate to identify and yet finding it easy to put myself in the shoes of characters I know little about.
Finishing the book left me both exhausted and rejuvenated at the same time; a feat that should not be possible. Perhaps this book is more for those of us with a 'more creative' and 'more open' spiritual awakening, not tied down by the rigid ideals of modern organized religions. Or for those of us who do not believe that one must act in certain ways to be 'patriotic'. The parallels to the 'war' overseas are not subtle though the author strays from using the same locations and such. The novel is set after the events of 9/11 but take it one step further to go past a what-if scenario when the White House is bombed and the current president is killed in the process. The war, the rallying cries of suddenly-patriotic Americans, the generation graduating from high school and enlisting in the military with patriotism at their backs and dreams of heroism at their front.
But that is not what this book is about. It is about love and the things we will do to keep that love. It is about the what-if someone were able to grant you the ability to go back and have a re-do of sorts so that you may save the one you love. It is about the relationships we have with strangers, even though we cannot recognize the connections at first or maybe even at all.
July 9, 2012
Through His Eyes
INTIMATE RELATIONS WITH STRANGERS by David Valentine Bernard was the most interesting superficial fiction book I ever read that seemed so realistic. The book elaborates on various situations that makes your mind wonder and relates to bizarre incidents of the past. This book was definitely a page turner and somewhat of a mystery. I recommend this book to all to read because it's phenomenal from beginning to end.
I look forward to reading more of David Valentine Bernard's books in the future. He is now considered one of the best sci-fi author's ever!
Reviewed by: Tekisha
INTIMATE RELATIONS WITH STRANGERS by David Valentine Bernard was the most interesting superficial fiction book I ever read that seemed so realistic. The book elaborates on various situations that makes your mind wonder and relates to bizarre incidents of the past. This book was definitely a page turner and somewhat of a mystery. I recommend this book to all to read because it's phenomenal from beginning to end.
I look forward to reading more of David Valentine Bernard's books in the future. He is now considered one of the best sci-fi author's ever!
Reviewed by: Tekisha
April 17, 2010
i really didn't like this book all that much. i got to the end, so i can't say that i didn't like it at all. but i didn't like it all that much.
i guess it was written well. but it was depressing and it kind of bored the hell out of me.
not sure where the author wanted to take the reader at the end of this journey...but i was happy that the novel was over so i could move on.
i guess it was written well. but it was depressing and it kind of bored the hell out of me.
not sure where the author wanted to take the reader at the end of this journey...but i was happy that the novel was over so i could move on.
March 8, 2008
this book is strange, not done with it yet, but it is really disturbing. Although it is non fiction if it has any truth to its prophecies on terrorism then I am totally freaked out. A truly sad book because the author is describing what's happening in Iraq....
June 2, 2009
Author David Valentine Bernard is an amazing writer of science fiction. Check him out.
February 27, 2013
The plot takes awhile to get moving and understand what's happening as the veiwpoints keep changing, but I'm glad I stuck with it as it was neatly woven together at the end.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews