Long Distance Relationships

So today, I’m writing to get some thoughts from readers and writers.

I’ve been having a bit of a struggle with two of my characters.  I finished the novel and felt like something was off.  Before I even started writing, I could tell that these two had chemistry and that there was a romantic interest there.  But within the story, they didn’t spend a lot of time together, which resulted in them having a long distance relationship.  When there’s no method of communication and they’re separated by hundreds of miles, it’s hard to build on a relationship.  It didn’t feel natural.  In fact, I’m attempting a rewrite where they spend more time together.

My question is… is there a possible way to make a long distance feel ‘live’ within a story?  Have you ever read a book where characters survive a long distance relationship without the use of mail, phones or electronics? 

My husband has a saying: “Amor de lejos es amor de cuatro.”  Roughly translated, it means that long distance relationships involve four people, not two. 

I’m not saying that long distance relationships don’t work in real life.  I’ve actually had to go four months in a long distance relationship with my now husband several years ago while I was in school.  But we also had the advantage of Skype.  I remember hearing stories from my dad about how he and my mom would spend hundreds of dollars on long distance phone calls – something that I can’t even imagine.

I want your opinion on this topic.  Does this work in writing?  Have you read anything that you enjoyed involving long distance relationships?