Click Here To Purchase The Dawn of Silva

Author: Olivia Wilde

ISBN: 978-1-4628-9246-4

Publisher: Xlibris

The novel is set entirely within the space of one week and unfolds when we are introduced to two New York filmmakers, Shari Gates and Alex Walter, who have collaborated on a surrealistic script supposedly with a great deal of inherent symbolism and some very potent messages. Alex concedes that when he penned the screenplay, he was motivated by a beautiful actress, Ashlyn, whom he has not seen in four years and whom he desperately wants to cast in the role of the leading lady. To Alex she is like a goddess-someone who is “willowy and elegant. Earthy and playful. Sexy. Untouchable. Round. Angular. A bunch of contradictions.” However, Ashlyn has vanished and purportedly has taken refuge in the stunning serene Cascade Mountain Range of Washington State. What is more, her family is maintaining complete silence as to her exact whereabouts.

As the plot thickens, we discover that Ashlyn's dropping out may be the result of her breaking off a tumultuous love relationship with her boyfriend Robert Riley York III, a fifth-generation Bostonian, and whose families were against them. According to one of Ashlyn's best friends, Julie, her family distrusted Robert's intentions due to several unfulfilled promises he had made to their daughter. Julie despised Robert, whom she felt was deceptive and manipulative and was using Ashlyn as a novelty because of her 'farm-girl' background.

Alex, possessed with Ashlyn, is convinced that the success of their film depends on her. Consequently, he persuades Shari that it is imperative that she seek out this mysterious Ashlyn and convince her to play the lead role in their movie.

The race is on to find Ashlyn. Not only is Shari determined to find her, but also her close friend Julie and Robert, who is desperately in love with Ashlyn. Apparently, the key to Ashlyn's whereabouts is wrapped up in uncovering a creek with gold sand in Central Washington State.

During her journey, Shari runs into Michael, an artist and a former boyfriend of Ashlyn, whom she describes as a scary character that could have been a relative of Charles Manson and whose raw sexuality she finds frightening. The two agree to pool their resources together to find Ashlyn. In the process both come to realize that there is such a thing as fate and things happen for a reason. Within a short space of time, four lives become intertwined wherein each take a step back and examine their emotions and sense that connecting with lovers provides a sense of completeness that they were missing. And as we learn, this revelation turns their lives upside down but enabling them to see more clearly.

I believe that if The Dawn of Silva were written as a novella rather than a novel, it would have worked better. The preponderance of too many unnecessary chapters that are devoid of subplots and multiple points of view detract from the principal plot and do very little to move the yarn along. On the other hand, Wilde does concern herself with personal and emotional development rather than the larger sphere, which lends itself to the novella structure. Nonetheless, despite its flaws, and although stylistically a bit awkward at times, Wilde has crafted an honest look at human options, particularly complex love relationships. It definitely is a good first attempt at a romance novel, narrated with a great deal of sincerity and tenderness. I look forward to reading more from Olivia Wilde.

Click Here To Read Norm's Interview With Olivia Wilde