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LOVE AND OTHER ADDICTIONS by Katerina Papanikolaou

LOVE AND OTHER ADDICTIONS

by Katerina Papanikolaou

Pub Date: Dec. 12th, 2013
ISBN: 978-9609355957
Publisher: AKH Books

Papanikolaou, in an homage to the TV series Sex and the City, tells the story of a lovable 30-something woman with a disastrous love life in the party-loving city of Athens, Greece.

In this novel translated from the Greek, a few years have passed since 34-year-old Andriana moved back to Athens, leaving London and her boyfriend Alexis behind to establish her law career. Now Andriana is dealing with the ups and downs of her relationship with a man she calls “Mr. Tall.” Her close friends are there to discuss every nuance of the roller-coaster relationship, including the painfully rude Gina, who’s in an on-again, off-again relationship herself; the somewhat daft Lilly, who encourages Andriana to think positively; and Harry, Andriana’s best straight-male friend, who’s also trying to find love. Andriana is never quite secure in her relationship with Mr. Tall, and when he’s drafted into the army, she becomes even more doubtful of his fidelity. When she finally decides to break up with him, she wallows in self-pity—until Alexis suddenly shows up. Papanikolaou brings her protagonist to life, insecurities and all, and ably describes Andriana’s party lifestyle, which is punctuated occasionally by work and business trips. Andriana, despite her relationship mishaps, also offers some pearls of wisdom: “[H]appiness, instead of being a conscious decision and choice, ends up being purely a matter of luck.” Although there are some gaps in the book’s plot, and Andriana’s unrelenting self-doubt can be tedious at times, the book provides a fine cast of characters. The author makes no secret that she’s emulating Sex and the City, however; even her cigarette-smoking, Bellini-drinking heroine equates Mr. Tall with that series’ Mr. Big.

An entertaining novel about the perils of finding love in Greece.