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Coinage of Commitment

R. Costelloe
Saga Books (2007)
ISBN  9781894936835
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (3/08)

“Coinage of Commitment” begins in a lounge called Sullivan’s in the late 1960s.  Wayne is there with a group of friends and takes notice of Nancy, a beautiful girl who walks into the bar.   Nancy is soon joined by a male companion but after sensing that there is something wrong, Wayne stops by their table on the way out and inquires if everything is okay.  After being told that she is fine, he leaves and heads toward the trolley system to ride to his grandfather’s house to stay.  While at the trolley station he briefly sees Nancy again as she must have left shortly after him.   Moments later he hears a female’s cry for help.  Trying to be heroic and thinking that it is Nancy, Wayne risks his life to come to the aid of the girl in distress only to find that help had already arrived and that it wasn’t even Nancy who was in trouble.  However, Nancy was there standing next to the victimized girl and Wayne’s actions did not go unnoticed.  After a brief introduction they decided to go grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant and this was the beginning of their relationship. 

In a sense though, the basis for their relationship had begun back when they young even though they did not know each other at that time.   They were from two entirely different worlds.  She was from a well-to-do family and he was the son of a machinist.   However, they both shared an interest in being able to obtain a higher plane of love.  When he was younger he secretly enjoyed reading Jane Austen stories to learn about love.  His goal was to learn as much as he could so that when the right person came along he would be able to have the perfect love.   Nancy had the same interest when she was younger.  She had kept a notebook where she recorded her thoughts about this special type of love, superior to the love that most people have.  She labeled this phenomenon as “Aesthetic Love.” 

“Coinage of Commitment” explores what happens when two people who are more emotionally and mentally aware of the workings of love come together as a couple.  Costelloe writes about their past relationships and their family life and how those factors mold them into who they are now.  This book is definitely not your typical love story.  It is much more intellectually written and is of a lot deeper nature than any book in the romance genre that I have ever read.   The ideas that the main characters ponder and discuss are very thought-provoking and I think, that as a reader, you will find yourself thinking more about the subject even after you turn the last page.   While you would think a novel of this nature could be predictable, Costelloe definitely throws a few major curve balls your way making for a very unique and interesting story!  I definitely look forward to reading more from this author in the future!   


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