Quarter Finalist

Assessment:

Plot: The authors successfully craft a layered story told from two diverse viewpoints, with the disparate stories proceeding in tandem until protagonists John and Mahin's worlds collide. The co-authors meaningfully explore cross-cultural conflict, ultimately rendered insignificant in the face of abiding love.

Prose: The authors’ narratives are distinct from one another, yet the transitions between the two voices are smooth, and their sections ultimately coalesce into a harmonious, shared narrative experience.

Originality: The dual narrative approach offers a unique storytelling, while the focus on the evolution of a single loving and lasting relationship, is unconventional.

Character Development: The authors provide detailed reflections on their relationship from its earliest stages, evoking warmth and romance, while societal tensions and expectations threaten to keep them apart. The pairing first-person perspectives allow for a full and nuanced portrait of the authors’ individual lives and the life they pursue together.

Blurb: A Bride's Confession is a heartfelt, often funny tale of true love found that defies the senseless limitations imposed upon love by global cultures.

Date Submitted: August 25, 2018