The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

I seriously need a word for my signature squeal.

No, really. Sometimes when I read books like Gone With the Wind or Pride and Prejudice, I squeal. Well-written romance tends to do that to me. The Lover’s Dictionary did that to me.

Allow me to share one of my favorite entries.

“brash, adj.

‘I want you to spend the night,’ you said. And it was definitely your phrasing that ensured it. If you had said, ‘Let’s have sex,’ or ‘Let’s go to my place,’ or even ‘I really want you,’ I’m not sure we would have gone quite as far as we did. But I loved the notion that the night was mine to spend, and I immediately decided to spend it on you.'”

If computers could record squeals and send them to others’ screens and digital devices automatically, you would hear me squealing right now.

This is my favorite book by David Levithan thus far. Its unique and addictive structure – a dictionary with alphabetized entries each serving as a short passage – was literally like nothing I’ve ever read before, and the romance was well-written and wonderfully realistic. Each entry supplies readers with a snapshot into a couple’s romance, detailing the ups and downs, the zeniths and the nadirs. How the characters dealt with conflict or avoided it was maybe its most realistic feature, as sometimes people scream at each other until all of their anger dissipates or stay away from each other and let the tension slowly but surely build.

And while almost nothing in life is 100% black and white, I would have liked a little more closure in the ending of this book. It did not satisfy me and I felt like because of it the story was entirely rising action with no true climax.

However, I would recommend this short and quick read to anyone, especially those who are fans of romance. One thing I found intriguing was how while the main character was clearly male, the main character’s partner never had their gender completely disclosed. There were hints, but no pronouns such as “he” or “she”. In fact, by the time I finished the book I still had no idea whether the protagonist’s partner was male or female, until I looked at the subjects in the front and saw “man-woman relationships.” David Levithan has written several stories about gay couples, so I kind of chose to picture the book that way, and I will probably still do so. Just thought that I would point that out.

If you’re in a lonely mood or are brain-dead from exams (like, cough, me) then do yourself a favor and grab a copy of The Lover’s Dictionary! Highly recommended.