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amyoates 's review for:
The Book of Love
by Kelly Link
I really enjoy Kelly Link’s short stories, and her lyrical writing and amazing character work infuse the Book of Love.
I understand some lower ratings - you can see Link’s prowess as a short story writer in that most of the book feels like a novel-in-stories rather than a traditional novel, and that greatly slows the pacing. It takes a long time for things to really get going, and there are plot lines (like the tiger one) that could be dropped without losing much.
That being said, this is a powerful and heartfelt novel and I know it’ll stick with me. It’s a meditation on death and grieving, what it means for someone to be real, legacy, and every form of love.
*spoiler* There’s a particular plot twist near the end about three people who aren’t exactly real and though you immediately know who they are, that gut punch is painful. But Link beautifully handles the Buffy-style even though they aren’t real they’re still family feeling and I knew I could trust her that whatever happened, it wouldn’t feel painful *end spoiler*
Book of Love is experimental in form (occasionally to its deficit), but it is worth the read and everyone in it truly feels real.
I understand some lower ratings - you can see Link’s prowess as a short story writer in that most of the book feels like a novel-in-stories rather than a traditional novel, and that greatly slows the pacing. It takes a long time for things to really get going, and there are plot lines (like the tiger one) that could be dropped without losing much.
That being said, this is a powerful and heartfelt novel and I know it’ll stick with me. It’s a meditation on death and grieving, what it means for someone to be real, legacy, and every form of love.
*spoiler* There’s a particular plot twist near the end about three people who aren’t exactly real and though you immediately know who they are, that gut punch is painful. But Link beautifully handles the Buffy-style even though they aren’t real they’re still family feeling and I knew I could trust her that whatever happened, it wouldn’t feel painful *end spoiler*
Book of Love is experimental in form (occasionally to its deficit), but it is worth the read and everyone in it truly feels real.