The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Genre: Adult Fiction

Rating: 5 stars

The thing is, I would not even consider this as a "novel" or a "story" - at least not in a traditional sense. I am sure someone else will see it differently than I do, but for me, that's how I felt about this book.

I don't really see a plot. I don't see an actual story. I do see bits and pieces of it, but I also feel like it's too short, too abrupt, too spaced out, too scattered. At times, I felt like it wasn't even making any sense. There were moments when I disliked the narrator. Moments when I couldn't really grasp what was truly happening.

However, I really liked it.

The Lover's Dictionary, to put it simply, is one of a kind. For one, the idea is unique - to 'tell a story' not in order, but alphabetically. I sure haven't read anything like that.

And the writing is great; David Levithan creates such wonderful prose effortlessly. You can just collect countless quotes from here, and be inspired by each of them. In fact, I feel like typing some of them out on a board, framing it, and displaying it on my wall.

Would I recommend it? Definitely. But I would advise you to to go in this book without expectations, but with an open-mind. It's a different kind of reading experience for sure.

...

ineffable, adj.

These words will ultimately end up being the barest of reflections, devoid of the sensations word 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.