“Three mighty obstacles threaten the burgeoning love of childhood sweethearts Timothy Pickering and Naomi Walls. They are Steven Venables, a dead curlew and God.” Spanning three decades, Obstacles to Young Love tells the story of Timothy and Naomi who fall in love when they are cast as Romeo and Juliet for a school play. Guilt envelopes them when they spend a weekend in London on the pretext of a school trip to Paris.
Based in the town of Conningsfield, Timothy is the son of a well-known taxidermist. He is all set to take over his father's business while Naomi sets out to try her luck as an actress. Things go horribly wrong when Timothy gifts Naomi a dead curlew for her 18th birthday.
The curlew, accepted with feigned affection and Timothy's staunch faith in Christianity, becomes an excuse to break off the relationship.
As the story unfolds with the separate lives of the protagonists, a host of other characters are introduced. Both Timothy and Naomi marry other people but their paths cross during their honeymoons in Peru. During the course of a conversation, they share stories of their marriage and Naomi confesses to having become an atheist. Years roll by; they continue to meet occasionally and have their own share of near misses.
It is during this phase that Naomi learns about her mother's terminal illness. Timothy loses his eldest son, Sam, to a car crash. His marriage starts showing cracks and finally breaks off. Ironically, Naomi too is no longer with her husband, Simon.
Unstable relationships
Recuperating from the loss of Sam and the failure of his marriage, Timothy is attracted to an article about Naomi's new role in a sitcom. He decides to watch her performance and meets her only to learn that she is engaged to Colin, the writer of the show.
Timothy is stumped but soon finds temporary comfort in Hannah, his second wife. Naomi's atheistic beliefs soon get the better of her. Colin starts to doubt his wife's fidelity and stalks her only to learn that she is spending most of her time with like-minded atheists.
Following the breakdown of their marriages for the second time, Timothy and Naomi meet at a school reunion.
David Nobbs has skilfully portrayed the contrasting mannerisms of people. From the gawky teenage period, through the 20s and the far more serious affair of the late 30s, the book also captures the humiliations, shame, tenderness and compassion of two individuals who are made for each other.
The story, though predictable, has successfully dealt with the themes of religion, faith and true love. Well written, thought-provoking and quite a class apart from other novels of the same genre, it is as a good read for teenagers and adults alike.
Title: Obstacles To Young Love
Author: David Nobbs
Publisher: Harper Collins
Price: £7.99
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