# Summary

"Lara Z. — Letters to My Beloved: Love in the Age of Retreat" by Øivind H. Solheim is a new novel exploring an online love exchange during the Pandemic era, now available for purchase on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions.

# Abstract

The newly published novel by Øivind H. Solheim, "Lara Z. — Letters to My Beloved: Love in the Age of Retreat," delves into the narrative of individuals seeking connection through an exchange of love letters online against the backdrop of societal retreat. The protagonist reflects on life stages, personal achievements, and the complexities of love and relationships, grappling with themes of shame and the desire to defy societal expectations of age. The book, spanning 127 pages in Kindle edition and 132 pages in paperback, is a blend of poignant life insights and humor, inspired by poetic exchanges and real-life experiences, although the characters are presented as a mix of potentially real and fictional entities.

# Opinions


- The author conveys the protagonist's life journey, emphasizing resilience and the pursuit of new experiences despite life's inevitable transitions, such as retirement and aging.
- There's an introspection on the nature of relationships, the effort put into them, and the bittersweet feelings that arise from love's vicissitudes.
- The narrative challenges the concept of aging, suggesting an active, non-conformist approach to growing old, rejecting preconceived notions of how an old man should live.
- The book plays with the fine line between fiction and reality, acknowledging that while the characters and events are inspired by real-life occurrences, they are ultimately a product of the author's creativity.
- The mystery and intrigue of anonymous online correspondence and its potential to evolve into something more tangible and profound are central to the plot, raising questions about the nature of love and life in the digital age.

NEW NOVEL

Lara Z. — Letters to My Beloved: Love in the Age of Retreat

Author: Øivind H. Solheim

I am very happy to announce that my new novel, “Lara Z. — Letters to My Beloved: Love in the Age of Retreat” has been published and is from today available to buy on Amazon, both Kindle Edition, 127 pages, and paperback, 132 pages.

To give readers some ideas on the book, here are a few excerpts from the

Prologue:

1. The narrator’s note

I had come to a point where I was standing at a road junction.

Behind me lay youth time, behind me was the time when I graduated and prepared myself for the profession I should have for decades.

Behind me lay a life where I had done my best, had done what I could for things to be good, for the woman I had chosen as a spouse to succeed with me in our joint project, so that together we could reach our common goals.

I did my best, that’s all I can say.

And now I stand before the last stage, the last part of the road I’m going. Alone or together with someone. One can never know.

(…)

2. Shame: “Don’t ask, not now.”

Shame? Is it the habit, the routines that define us?

Should I feel shame because I feel that way? Should I feel shame for breaking the rules? Should I feel ashamed because I want it to be different?

It’s not good to have it that way. It is not good to feel rejected. It’s not good to feel that way, incomplete. It gives a bad feeling.

(…)

3. I am an old man

I lived a good life. I had love, and I had closeness. Had someone who loved me and whom I loved.

We liked each other, we had a good time together. We were lovers, almost all the time we were close to each other.

We respected each other. We built a home, had kids. We saw each other, we had love, good sex — we had everything it takes to have a good life.

— -

I am an old man now. I don’t feel like an old man. I no longer work for an employer. I am a pensioner. I have plenty of time. I love going for walks. I do not want to be like a typical old man, following common ideas about that age.

I will not live up to the image of an old man.

I will deny the age, I will deny the aging.

I will stand upright, I will go uphill even when I am old.

I am active, I will break the routines, I will break the laws.

I do new things, I experience things I’ve never experienced before. Life is a journey, and it can be an exciting one.

(…)

The book tells the story of an online exchange of letters in the digital era that also coincides with the Pandemic era.

Imagine that you start getting letters in your inbox from an unknown person. The sender is of the opposite gender, and she writes love letters and says that she wants to meet you in real. What happens further? Is this a love story? Is it a story about what happens in real life, or is it a fiction?

The characters and events depicted in this book may seem like fictitious events. Similarity with real people, living or dead, cannot be ruled out. The characters in the story may have existed in real life, but at the same time they are fictional.

I wrote the novel during the last four months, and it has been an exciting journey for me!

The book tells the story of a couple of people seeking to find each other online. The novel conveys insights about life in general and about relationships in particular, and the story is written with a certain amount of humor and poetic insights inspired by the other writer’s messages.

Interested?

Please go to my Author Page on Amazon.com, https://www.amazon.com/author/oivindsolheim, where you can find more information about “Lara Z. — Letters to My Beloved: Love in the Age of Retreat” and about my authorship.