FOLLOWING her acclaimed debut, A History Of Forgetting, Canadian author Adderson turns her talents to examining how young lovers cope with a tragedy which robs them of the future they had imagined.

Newlyweds Ross and Iliana Alexander are still in their honeymoon period when they have a car accident. Iliana suffers a spinal injury and is wheelchair-bound, while driver Ross is left paralysed by guilt.

We fast-forward two years to find them living a new life in a small Canadian town where they run a health-food coffee shop.

Iliana, a former nurse, rises each morning to make bread, while Ross, who has converted to Buddhism since the accident, plays the role of the jolly caf owner.

Ironically, he seems to be suffering the most. Whereas Iliana seems to have accepted her new self, Ross is in denial. Their marriage becomes more like a friendship and Iliana wonders whether they will ever be intimate again.

When one of them has an affair, it forces the couple to accept what they have lost and what, if anything, can be salvaged.

Adderson paints her characters vividly, including the small supporting cast, most notable of which is Ross's twin sister Bonnie, who is needy and nutty in equal measure.

She surprises us by presenting Iliana as a strong, pity-free spirit who shows the patience of a saint in her efforts to bring her husband back to her bed.

Updated: 09:09 Wednesday, February 18, 2004