Book Review: The Lover's Dictionary

Title: The Lover's Dictionary
Author: David Levithan
Genre/s: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

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 momentdoes 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 didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book. I didn't know that it was literally a dictionary but what I like about it is that each word in it has it's story which makes it more personal.

beguile, v.

It’s when you walk around the apartment in my boxers when you don’t know I’m awake. And then that grin, when you do know I’m awake. You spend so much time in the morning making sure every hair is in place. But I have to tell you: I like it most like this, haphazard, sleep-strewn, disarrayed.

I really like the concept of this book. It's new, it's fresh and it's definitely unique. I think it's totally sweet that words has new meaning because of the experiences you have with each other. The only thing I find as a disadvantage of this book is that, the story-telling is a bit choppy. The bits and pieces of information of their story is like a sneak peek into what happened to them but the readers wouldn't know the whole story. It also gives the reader something to ponder upon and create their own understanding of what had happened to the story which made the book a bit subjective.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. The word "beware" had a whole new meaning in this book and I can't stop myself from laughing about the story behind it. If you wanted to know what it is, check out this book. :)

My Rating