The Lover’s Dictionary Review

 

Have you ever read a book so mesmerizing, so spellbinding, that it demanded to be read for a second, third, or even fourth time? For me, that book is the Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan.

Levithan, an established YA author who frequently sits upon the NY Times bestsellers list, decided to go introspective in his first memoir. The Lover’s Dictionary tells the story of a two and a half year relationship through short stories organized like a dictionary would be. It takes the reader on the journey of their love story, from its tentative beginnings to the inevitable crash and burn. The two main characters, the mild mannered, insecure Levithan and his charming yet never named partner feel like people you would really know. As the story goes on, you begin to feel like you’re a part of this relationship, knowing both of the characters weaknesses and flaws. By the time the book ends, the reader has one big question: did they stay together? We may never know.

There are many standout sections of this quick but powerful read. My personal favorites passages are basis and livid. The former describing the familiar fear of loving only the idea of being in love and the latter being a blistering letter to an unfaithful partner. Some honorable mentions are fluke, catalyst, and voluminous, but every passage is special in its own right, and readers can connect with any one of them. Single, taken, or complicated, this is a book that will simultaneously break and mend your heart over the course of one reading.

~Callie