Review #1- The Scent of Cinnamon

I just finished reading Charles Lambert’s The Scent of Cinnamon, and overall, I am pretty pleased. The story begins with the blossoming love story of two strangers, Joseph Broderick and Miriam Payne. Interestingly enough, the reader is taken a bit off guard when the preface of a romantic story meshes with that of a ghost story. Lambert is able to balance both aspects of his writing very well, and upon first read, the reader hardly picks up on many of the more chilling aspects of the story and instead focuses on the romance. In the end, I was thoroughly spooked but still found myself smiling; therefore, I think Lambert achieved his dual-purpose of invoking awe and fear from readers. Overall, the story kept me thinking about it long after I had put it down. The concept of everlasting love, the discrepancy between what is happening and what isn’t, the vivid descriptions, and even the theme of forgotten friendship are all viable routes that my future essay may take. I would definitely consider this as an ideal short story for my final essay, but I will keep reading in case something else comes up (194).