Book Review: The Lovers Dictionary

                          

David Levithan's Lovers Dictionary is a very short read. I literally read it for 1 and a half hour (I time myself when I read) it was really confusing at first cause the characters were nameless, the events alphabetical and not chronological but once you understand the circumstances you'd be able to formulate what is happening. I admire this book because you need not know who they are, what they've done or anything relating to their past as individuals. All you know about them is their present; who they are within the relationship. The author lets you make your own assumptions and yes, even the conclusion. I loved the use of the words at the very begining of each story and how they connected in one way or another to the story and eventually to their relationship. Unfortunately though if you ignore the way it was presented, the love story itself is quite shallow. No, not shallow, realistic. Basically, its about a couple who made decisions too fast, too soon. I won't spill anything more than that and quite frankly there's nothing else to spill. The couple recounts the story of their relationship in a  very factual, straight to the point manner, no childish "forever" crap, no lovey dovey "butterflies in my stomach" and he/she-centric thing going on. It's more of the real stuff, real couples encounter, like how it felt like for them to live together for the first time or how the small things the other does annoy them. It's a disenchantment from the clitché relationship. Cynical yet captivating.