Tender and deeply moving, The LoveLock: A Suspenseful and Sensual Love Story by Eichin Chang-Lim is a love story about Violet and Dylan, two college sweethearts whose relationship is destroyed by a tragedy that tears them apart. As grown-ups, they have to face the challenges of life, each one alone. Violet will travel a very dark path, ending up as a stripper, while Dylan has his own demons to handle. But there is one moment that keeps them linked to each other in some mysterious way; the moment Dylan gave Violet the locket. The locket and the key have marked a symbolic moment in their relationship. When Dylan offered her the locket on a beach, he said he’d keep the key, symbolizing that he owned the key to Violet’s heart. For Violet, Dylan has the key to her heart, “in every sense,” but after all they have been through, can they go back to the moment to unlock the secret of happiness and meaning in each other’s heart?
This is a beautiful story, at times aching, and filled with compassion and pathos. Violet and Dylan are well-sculpted characters and they are flawed in a way that allows them to be human. There are very painful moments in the story and the author creates a strong sense of suspense which makes the story even more gripping — a real page-turner. You’ll feel for these characters and as you follow Violet, all innocent, being introduced to the rules of the strip club. The psychological games that are played on the key characters are something that the weak encounter every day. Eichin Chang-Lim injects a huge dose of realism into the narrative and makes the characters really believable. The LoveLock: A Suspenseful and Sensual Love Story is beautifully written.