Celebrate the month of love with Qarnita Loxton's 'Being' trilogy

06 February 2020 - 10:15 By nb-uitgewers/publishers
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Qarnita Loxton.
Qarnita Loxton.
Image: Supplied

“Month of love”, so they say! Ever wonder why Being Kari, Being Lily and Being Shelley all start around Valentine’s Day?

“I wanted to play up all the hype of romance and love (which is at its peak at Valentine’s), poke a little fun at all the commercial rubbish and question the expectations that we sometimes have, not only of ourselves, but of love and perfect relationships, family and friendships.

“I wanted to show up the unreasonable ideals that we build and contrast them with real-life situations ... weddings, marriage, friendships. I wanted to laugh about it.

“These are books for those of us who can laugh at ourselves and at Valentine’s, we know it’s not real life but ... yes we’ll still have the roses if (they come) our way!” — Qarnita Loxton, author of the Being series.

How each book is relevant to February 14:

Being Kari — Kari’s husband cheats and her grandmother dies, all on Valentine’s Day. The disasters send Kari back to her estranged Muslim family. What will she do, who will she be?

Being Lily — Lily is a spoiled doctor who only worries about her honeymoon and what to do on Valentine’s, pretending that her parents' dislike for her brown fiancé is not a problem. But her fiancé’s ex arrives with a teenage daughter and there are many questions — whose child is this, does he want children, will they still marry? This is not how happy-ever-after is supposed to be!

Being Shelley — Shelley is insecure and restless in the life she has built with her Jewish husband, Jerry. She meets Wade, the hot surf coach slash barista, on Valentine’s Day and employs him in her coffee shop. Can a female boss be friends with a young male employee? Shelley gets herself into trouble.

The three novels can be read independently and in any order.


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