In This Is Not Love, Vahé Berberian crafts an unflinchingly raw portrait of a man at the precipice of obsession, self-discovery, and disillusionment. Julian, a world-weary painter in his fifties, lives a life steeped in art, solitude, and carefully guarded secrets – until he encounters Kylie, a young woman whose presence reignites both his passion and his inner turmoil.
Their tumultuous relationship transcends the boundaries of mere love, challenging Julian’s sense of identity and forcing him to confront his own past and destructive tendencies. As Julian becomes increasingly entangled in his feelings for Kylie, he grapples with the ghosts of former lovers, a dangerous gift of wishing harm, and the haunting realization that he may never truly know himself.
Through evocative prose and dark humor, Berberian explores themes of desire, identity, and the perilous line between creation and destruction, making This Is Not Love a mesmerizing, unsettling tale of one man’s descent into the chaos of his own heart.