Will a lack of passion in her marriage drive a woman towards her old flame?

What defines commitment in a relationship?

These are the questions that Gabriel Garcia Marquez tries to answer through his book, Love in the Time of Cholera. This is a fascinating love story that’s weaved around the lives of its three main protagonists Florentino, Fermina and Juvenal. Fermina is charmed by the romantic ways of Florentino in her youth, but their relationship is cut short by her father.

She eventually gets married, when she is 21, to Juvenal Urbino, a man who offers her love and security. Urbino is a rational man and a doctor who is devoted to eradicating cholera. Their lives are intertwined for a long period of time and Marquez slowly lets the bond between Florentino and Fermina grow from immature romance to a very mature relationship.

Does Fermina go back to Florentino?

Is Juvenal’s practical portrayal of love stained with dark shades?

Love in the Time of Cholera is a stark amalgam of the two contrasting faces of love, purity and practicality. The book was initially published in the year 1985 in Spanish, and was translated to English in 1988.