Review: His Beloved Infidel by Sharon E. Cathcart



It is closing in on Christmas, and true to tradition, each teacher gives a gift to their colleagues. Farukh really likes Catherine, wanted to talk to her for some time, and finds this to be a wonderful opportunity to show her that he’s interested.

Catherine is surprised to find a gift from Farukh, especially since she didn’t get him anything. As a thank you she invites him for coffee, and everything rolls from there. But what happens when two different world collide in love? Can the people they love the most accept it?

His Beloved Fidel is a short story, and it touches on a subject that always will occur; what happens when two falls in love with each other, but are from different religions? For some this wouldn’t be a problem, but for others it is. The phrase is; Love can conquer all. Not always, unfortunately.

His Beloved Infidel goes into this subject; Farukh and Catherine being from two different religions, two different worlds, and yet has so much in common. The whole build up with their romance was sweet and wonderful to read.

Then the dreaded conversation is coming; telling the families. My heart went out to both of them because it is nerve wrecking as it is; telling the parents about someone you love. But when you don’t know how they will respond, due to other differences? Differences, who shouldn’t matter, but in reality they do.

*sighs*

I have no words for how I felt when I read about Dadash’s reaction to Catherine. Dadash is Farukh’s brother, well one of his brothers. He is also involved with Ayatollah Khomeini,that looks upon the west like it is an evil dragon to be slayed, and their inhabitants as infidels because they believe in something else.

Catherine doesn’t have it any easier. Her father’s response is just as bad as Dadash’s. But I have to say, I admire her grandmother and Farukh’s parents. They’re lovely people in heart and soul.

Since this is a short story, there is a limit to how deep Sharon could go with the problems, and all the trouble Farukh and Catherine have. I will NOT go so far to say it is shallow, because it isn’t. Sharon manages to captivate most of the trouble, the anguish, the joy and happiness involving Farukh and Catherine. I do wish she had written more of this story, because there are more to this story. Not just about two people who love each other, but about differences between people and how fast we are to judge, only because they’re different than us.  

Farukh and Catherine are colleagues at Paris' World Language Institute. He is Persian; she is American. Can their newly-discovered love survive the strain of Iran's Islamic Revolution?

Author Sharon E. Cathcart ("In The Eye of The Beholder," "Through the Opera Glass") presents her first tale of inter-ethnic romance. Set against the backdrop of real-world events, Cathcart tells the story of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events.



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Books by internationally published author Sharon E. Cathcart provide discerning readers of essays, fiction and non-fiction with a powerful, truthful literary experience.

A former journalist and newspaper editor, Sharon has been writing for as long as she can remember and generally has at least one work in progress. Her primary focus is creating fiction featuring atypical characters.

Sharon lives with her husband and an assortment of pets in the Silicon Valley, California.

 

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