Shelter of the Monument: A Provincetown Love Story

Shelter of the Monument by Yvonne deSousa was an absolutely beautiful autobiography. Predominantly focused on the story of her first love, this story eloquently captures the hardship and heartbreak of dating someone struggling with addiction.

The story begins with deSousa’s childhood, giving the reader a backdrop of her small-town, historic, fishing community. A very tight-knit, eclectic place, she adores her hometown’s charisma and population dynamic, a reason she stays close to Provincetown into her adulthood. This special place and all its quirks leave deSousa with a mostly happy, laidback, and memorable young adulthood. In passing, deSousa meets Richard, who just so happens to be one of her older sister’s roommates.

Truly like a movie scene, Richard is your stereotypical, extremely handsome, rough around the edges, small-town “bad boy.” Very notably, he is eleven years older than deSousa, something she knows cannot end well with her parents or sister if something were to happen between them. However, no one can deny their immediate attraction to each other; smart, hilarious, respectful, and gorgeous, deSousa is infatuated with dating Ricard, no matter what anyone else has to say about it.

In a place as small as Provincetown, word travels quickly. It doesn’t take long for her loved ones to figure out what’s going on. Forcing her to end their relationship, they do not understand why deSousa likes him to begin with. Of course, she has heard the rumors that he is into drugs and has been in some trouble, but Richard has never done that around her. Devasted, it is not until many years later that the two hit it off again, rekindling what appears to be a never-ending love and adoration for each other.

Through time, deSousa begins to realize that Richard is more invested in the drug scene than she had gathered. Cocaine is the one thing that she feels always comes before her, always appearing at the worst times to cause havoc to their relationship and friendship.

Admittedly, this story had me in tears. DeSousa writes beautifully, enrapturing the reader with the story of her love and loss. Truly an example of how much addiction can ruin both platonic and romantic relationships, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of drug dependency. I was so invested in their love and her many attempts to show Richard that he was more than his addiction – proving deSousa’s talent for writing and storytelling. If you are a reader who knows someone struggling with drugs or alcohol, this is the book for you. Raw and full of emotion, you will relate to her story, empathy, and desperate desire for her love’s healing.