‘Finding Us Again’ is a novel by Francois Keyser, who was born in Zimbabwe. Ever since he began reading and fell in love with books, he had wanted to become a writer. Francois’s passion was writing, and he frequently resorted back to it when on vacation or travelling since he found inspiration in everyday events and life. Since deciding to follow his dream of being a well-known author, Francois has written novels in the romance, fantasy, and children’s fiction genres. Currently residing in Bali, Indonesia, Francois divides his time between his work and family. In his third romance novel, ‘ Finding Us Again ‘, he depicts young love while examining how the characters navigate the complexities of youthful emotions, relationships, and experiences while considering the authenticity of the characters, their voices, and the relatability of their situations. The difficulties, pleasures, and development that frequently accompany youthful love are depicted in this book, which ultimately helps the reader comprehend and value this common human experience. While setting the novel in both the present and fifteen years ago, the author explores various ways to represent young love, ranging from gritty and realistic portrayals to more romanticised or idealised versions through the characters while assessing how well each approach connects with readers.

This novel belongs to the genre of romantic fiction as it discusses about two lovers finding each other after fifteen years of separation. The author brings out how people are destined to meet with each other even though time passes. The narrative centres on Bryce and Nora, the two main protagonists, and demonstrates how, on occasion, even the simplest deed may rekindle love and bring people back together across time and space. Bryce and Nora fall in love during their senior year of high school. They worry that their relationship will last beyond graduation, but when Bryce’s father gets moved, and he needs to move out, they part ways sooner. Bryce says he will write, but not in the traditional sense. He makes a vow to write notes under photos in the hotels where his father works. He assures Nora that they are destined to be together if she discovers his messages. As promised, Bryce has continued to leave notes forears, but he has started Nora over the y to question whether this is just a habit. Over the years, they have dated other people. Although Bryce still sends messages to Nora, she has largely forgotten his promise until she comes across an old picture of him. She starts looking for his messages and eventually locates them.

Keyser has divided the novel into two separate parts as the present day and fifteen years earlier, to make the novel more effective and to make the reader curious. Also, the chapters have been named after each main character, Bryce, Nora and Lisa, to portray the real emotions and feelings of each character in a very practical and tactful way. It makes it possible to examine each character’s viewpoint, motivations, and growth in greater detail as the story progresses. The author provides the reader a closer-knit grasp of a character’s journey by delving into their innermost feelings, ideas, and experiences through character-specific chapters in his novel, ‘Finding Us Again’. Character-driven narrative is made easier by this structural method, which allows the author to concentrate on the unique development and arcs of each major character. By following their unique paths, identifying with their challenges, and celebrating their victories, readers are able to develop a deeper bond with both the characters and the narrative as a whole. As readers speculate about how several points of view will interact and affect the story’s development, tension and mystery are built into the narrative. Through this structure, the narrative’s complexity and depth are enhanced by the ability to examine various points of view on important occasions, disputes, and interpersonal connections.

The coincidental meeting of two lovers captures the alluring, unpredictable nature of fate in both fiction and reality. The instant two souls collide, whether it be by a quick gaze across a packed room or an apparently random encounter in an ordinary setting, ignites a spark that begins a growing passion. This literary device is frequently employed to portray young love, evoking the passion, naiveté, and vulnerability of protagonists navigating the turbulent seas of puberty. Young people’s experiences with love are as varied and unpredictable as the characters in a book, ranging from high school sweethearts who meet in the hallways between classes to travellers who cross paths in far-off places. ‘Finding Us Again’ portrays how the love of two teenagers crosses paths after fifteen years as a coincidence. Lisa, being an outside character of the relationship between Nora and Bryce, ends up sacrificing her love towards Bryce to make these two ‘foolish lovers’ fall in love again while giving them a second chance. These characters experience deep personal growth and self-discovery as they move through the highs and lows of their relationships, picking up insightful knowledge about resilience, love, and loss in the process. Keyser makes the reader believe in young love, coincidences, destiny, and faith, especially for the readers who do not believe in such things.

A journey of self-discovery and personal development is portrayed by the characters in the book. It also centres on how the protagonists overcome obstacles, face their pasts, and eventually rediscover who they are and who each other is. By emphasising particular scenes and characters that speak to the reader, the book addresses the themes of love, grief, and redemption within the framework of the narrative. The characters develop from being young high school lovers towards two mature characters who are willing to resign from their jobs and travel the world together in search of the time that they missed while publishing their own story as a book. But even though they become grownups, they still behave as a childish couple who try to find each other in an unconventional and rather difficult way. The writer uses simple and descriptive writing to enhance young love and to portray the real power of love that can defy destiny or fate. From my point of view, this romantic novel, ‘Finding Us Again’ by Francois Keyser, has become successful in gaining the attention of young readers who are in search of love and also the attention of adult lovers who have missed love in their lives due to various duties, responsibilities and unavoidable circumstances.

Francois Keyser skillfully illustrates the power of love as a force that is unaffected by time, place, or hardship in all of his works. Keyser crafts the story while highlighting the transformational power of love, demonstrating its capacity to inspire, heal, and ultimately redefine lives via heartbreaking prose and complex characterisation. He examines the depths of romantic desire, the enduring links of family, and the profound connections that bind individuals together via the complex interactions of the characters. In the universe created by Keyser, love is more than just a feeling; it is a force for human development and atonement that leads characters on awakening and self-discovery journeys. Among the novels that I have read, ‘Finding Us Again’ captivates the hearts of the readers who chase after love. In the midst of the chase, Keyser delves into the deeper aspects of love, such as the persistent ties that endure a lifetime, the profound links that transcend physical distance, and the transformational power of love to spark the spirit and heal old scars. ‘Finding Us Again’ ultimately serves as a reminder that, despite the difficulties, heartaches, and failures that may arise in the quest for love, it is also a path of personal development and the indisputable power of human connection.

By Shashimali De Silva