The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Every February, Courtney from Abducted by Books celebrates her favorite author, David Levithan.  I'm super psyched to participate this year!

Book: The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Summary (from GoodReads):  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 momentdoes 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.

Thoughts:  This book is structured like a dictionary and I wasn't sure if there would be enough story to hold my interest.  There is a story, with lots of poignant moments and beautiful turns of phrase, but ultimately, I wanted more from the story.  I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I couldn't tell if it was a straight or gay couple.  Only one half of the couple is identified as male.  This wouldn't be a problem if the book hadn't started out with a moment that ends "I'm pregnant."  Is that a gay guy being snarky?  A poor joke by a cheating girlfriend?  Or a serious confession?  I don't know.

The entire book left me with questions like this that made the read more frustrating than enjoyable.  However, it is beautifully written and a very fast read, so I would absolutely recommend reading it if you are feeling nostalgic for old lovers.

Also, this song played in my head the entire time I was reading.  Full disclosure: NSFW (Not safe for work) and I know the band IRL.

Moments I Loved: As individual pieces there were so many words I loved, but my favorite is epithet, because I laughed out loud for a full minute.

WTF Moments:  The entry for motif.  Yes we all have these moments, but if you say what the entry says then you probably don't love the person as much as you think you do.

Overall:  This one is beautifully written and I wanted to love it, but there wasn't enough story to leave me satisfied.

The Lover's Dictionary gets a FakeSteph rating of...