The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Title:  The Lover's Dictionary
Author: David Levithan
Pages: 211
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased

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. [via GoodReads]

This is Mr. Levithan’s foray into adult fiction and if you’ve read any of his young adult novels (Nick & Norah, Dash & Lily and even the Will Grayson’s) then you will recognize his sense of humor, witty-and-savvyness right from the start. With one word (each entry being a different letter of the alphabet) – you get a glimpse into these two individuals’ relationship their genders are unspecific – which is a nice touch, since you can read it and imagine them to be just about anyone. And you read of the moments that define their relationship - the joys and the sorrows – all told in an honest voice.

I really can’t say what I loved more – the story itself or the uniqueness of the way the story is told… but both make The Lover’s Dictionary a quick and lyrical read that will stay with you long after you are done with it (which in my case was just a few hours).

Maybe it was its simplicity... maybe it was the clues - becuase who doesn't love piecing together a story... it could have also been the wonderful wordplay - using a word to give you a glimpse of the love story between two unnamed individuals.  I can't precisely pinpoint exactly what I found so captivating about the Lover's Dictionary bu there were so many factors that seduced me that I found this oh-too-short story to be quite a treat.

My Rating: