Mind the Gap 

EvelynHail and RainerSalt

Winner of Round One for this year's Open Novella Contest, Mind the Gap, is the result of a collaboration between two authors, Evelyn Hail and Rainer Salt. 

They chose Prompt: #61 in the Romance section: "After being jilted, you move to the city to hide your embarrassment, lick your wounds, and start afresh" as their inspiration.

Now you wouldn't think someone unexpectedly sneezing messily into their hand and being offered a packet of tissues from a stranger would engage so many readers, but that's where this story starts.

Mind the Gap is a romantic comedy about two strangers who develop a relationship through odd moments of synchronicity, when two trains travelling in opposite directions happen to halt at the same station.

In one carriage is Evan, a recently divorced father of one, who is seeking another job, away from his ex and her new love-interest. But it's proving unexpectedly difficult to find a good job for a mathematician.

In the other carriage is Iris, bubbly and wearing braces, her hair colour changing by the month. Newly-engaged after a five-year relationship, Iris is happily dreaming about having her illustrations accepted by a publisher.

Only a foot apart, but separated by impenetrable glass, they catch fleeting and often humorous, glimpses into each other's lives.

Written from alternating points of view, Mind the Gap, is a hilarious account of two people getting to know each other without actually meeting face to face. One of the charms of the story, is seeing the same event from two different sides of the window.

I guarantee, once you start reading, you won't want to stop until you reach the end of the line.

Highly recommended.

Review by Elveloy

(And you can read my highly entertaining interview with the authors, here , in our Interview Book for June)