A sweet and touching modern love story, told through dictionary entries.
basis, n.
There has to be a moment at the beginning when you wonder whether you’re in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself.
If the moment doesn’t pass, that’s it—you’re done. And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it’s even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover’s face.
How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.
basis, n.
There has to be a moment at the beginning when you wonder whether you’re in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself.
If the moment doesn’t pass, that’s it—you’re done. And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it’s even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover’s face.
How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this little novel. I first saw it at Borders, and thought it seemed interesting and different. I picked it up from my public library, and had it read in an hour. It’s short-only about 200 pages. What drew me to this “love story” was the originality of it. The story is told through letters of the alphabet. I laughed out loud at some of the parts. The writing felt real, like I was apart of the narrator’s relationship with his unnamed girlfriend. The story really made me think about all different types of relationships. It tackled the boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic perfectly, and also included relationships with family and friends.
I recommend reading this book. It’s short, sweet, and real. It’s simple, and too the point. It’s a modern love story.
 |
| Love, Kristina |
I loved this book! The book was so much fun to read primarily due to it's completely different style. It has become one of my favorite books.
ReplyDelete