Sweet Bitterness — Tricia McGill

First love can be wonderful—albeit at times tortuous. Rarely does it last, and at times is so painful it brings nothing but heartache. Often it is the girl who has a passion, but in the case of twenty-year-old Tony, his feelings for seventeen-year-old Melody become what can probably be termed an obsession. An obsession that stays with him as years pass and their lives go in different directions.Sadly, often a third party steps into the mix, diverting the course of the lives of young lovers. In Melody’s case, it is her father who shatters the hopes and dreams of this pair. Not only is Melody’s parent an overbearing and obstinate man but he happens to be an unprincipled police inspector who does not hesitate to use the power his position entitles him to exercise.Shattered by the events that ensue, Tony takes off to the other side of the world and makes a successful life in Australia. Always the dream of returning to England and claiming his lost love stays with him. Many obstacles crop up, making his dreams seem impossible. Meanwhile Melody is left to face a loveless life forced on her by her father, where escape to happiness drifts further away as the years pass.