My Kind of Place

Trinity College, Dublin

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

My dream :-)

The Lover's Dictionary

Today I (started and) finished The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan.

Here is the summary of this novel:

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.

I have to say, I really, really, enjoyed this one. It was a fascinating way to tell the time-old tale of falling in love.  Each word the author chose to use had a little vignette that perfectly described the definition of the word in relation to love. Some were happy, and then there were the sad words, such as abyss:

abyss, n. There are times when I doubt everything. When I regret everything you've taken from me, everything I've given you, and the waste of all the time I've spent on us.

I appreciate the fact that Levithan didn't shy away from the negative emotions that can come with love. I mean, love isn't always sunshine and roses, and those who think it is may be missing something. In any case, the author covers everything from moving in together, to drinking, to meeting the family, to death, to cheating, to sex, and all the little and big things that are a part of love and life. It's a great look at the little insecurities that go along with love too. It does feel a little voyeuristic, but that can't be helped with they style chosen to tell the story.

I am one of those people who likes happy endings, and I am not sure what the ending of this book actually is. The first and last words, aberrant and zenith, seem to be bookends, but the middle of the book appears to be out of order. And it doesn't bother me. This was a well written book, that fully describes all of the ups and downs of love in a new in unique way. I highly recommend it.

One of my favorite words used is ineffable:

ineffable, adj. these words will ultimately end up being the barest of reflections, devoid of the sensations words cannot convey. Trying to write about love is ultimately like trying to have a dictionary represent life. No matter how many words there are, there will never be enough.

Another Blog

I decided that with the amount of books I read and how often I re-read them, it wouldn't be a bad idea to put together a blog with my thoughts on certain books I have read. So here we go!