Text Analysis- The Cupid Effect- Dorothy Koomson
Introduction-
Produced first in Great Britain in 2003, then reprinted again also in 2003, The Cupid Effect is a romantic comedy book written by Dorothy Koomson. It focuses on Ceri D’Altroy, who departs from London to follow her hearts desires of becoming a psychology lecturer. She “vows” to leave behind her matchmaking ways for good. Unfortunately, all she seems to do is inspire the new people she meets to change their lives, for better or worse.
No one who comes into contact with Ceri is ever the same. Why is this? Could it be that she is our modern day Cupid?
Rarely do romantic comedies make us think, never mind liberate us from the “Cinderella syndrome”. Romantic comedies do not provide…show more content… Koomson describes the surroundings in high detail and this enables us to pictures the scenes in our minds. Her descriptions of her apartment, the people and the buildings make it feel as though you were watching a movie.
Koomson’s writing technique also gives the book a natural tone. It presents natural feelings, although hidden on the surface, as we read further we explore these feelings and emotions further. The use of slang and strange nicknames makes the book feel less comical and more relatable.
Apart from the main character Ceri, the book also introduces a wide range of character including Ed, a man who tries to declare his love to a woman who is way out of his league, Mel and Claudine, two long-term friend who are tempted to start an illicit affair, and Gwen, the “chain-smoking” head of department who has a deep, dark secret she only wishes to share with Ceri, her new employee.
The book starts of in London, England, but quickly moves Leeds, Yorkshire. The writer tells us of how Ceri is tired from all the urban colors, the buzzing of all the people and even her own apartment in London. Upon this realization (aided by Oprah Winfrey), she decides to move the Leeds, where she shares a vibrant looking apartment with two striding young lads named Ed and…show more content… She is also quick to pick up on how people dress. She describes them as being modern-fashioned people with a few people having their own distinct, trademark piece of clothing they always wear. All of these features make for a more engaging and personal book.
Structure-
Koomson, very cleverly, wrote multiple build ups and anticipation of bigger events only to end them quickly. While this might get boring for some readers, I felt it only added to the “hype” at the end of the book. If there is one thing that I would want to remember from this book it would be the ending. Just when you the book has ended without any romance for Ceri, it takes an unexpected and thrilling turn, making it a perfect ending.
Language-
As with most books, the main language in this book is English. It does however, get brightened up by the addition of a few French words and a lot of references to psychology. Koomson has a PHD in psychology so it only makes sense that there would be a lot of complex words and a healthy amount of psychology