Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

When it comes to experimenting with form, I think David Levithan is one of the most creative authors.  Many of his books have an unexpected twist to them, such as being written in the form of a dictionary, or in response to photographs, or with a narrator who gets reincarnated each day. In Two Boys Kissing the book is narrated by a chorus of men who died from AIDS. This unusual perspective of "we" which doesn't include any of the characters from the novel itself, makes its scope both huge and slightly impersonal and while at moments I did appreciate it, and other times it felt like it lead to the story dragging along.

There are several storylines in Two Boys Kissing, centering around two boys, a broken up couple, who are now kissing and attempting to break the world record for longest kiss. Meanwhile, another couple meets for the first time and connects at prom, and two boys come out to their parents in very different ways. These are just a few of the many stories of gay youth and while Levithan draws on some common elements, Two Boys Kissing ultimate emphasize how different the stories can be.

I really liked the storyline between Avery and Ryan, as I really wanted things to work out for them, the boy with pink hair and the boy with blue hair. Connor's story was heartbreaking, the kind where you want to reach across the pages and tell him that things will get better. There's not a ton of plot to the novel, it's more about the journeys the characters take, and although I didn't know a huge amount about each of the characters and wish there was more complexity and depth to them, I was definitely rooting for things to work out. However, I still felt that distance, most likely because of the form of narration.

Ultimately, while I wanted to get a little closer to the characters in Two Boys Kissing, I couldn't help feeling what an important book this is. I am so glad books like this exist, to remind teens they aren't alone, no matter how much it feels like it.

Release Date: August 27th 2013 Pages: 208  Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher  Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers  Buy It: Book Depository

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

Release Date: September 13th 2011
Pages: 245
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Random House Canada
Buy It: Book Depository

Evan starts to discover a series of unnerving photographs—some of which feature him. Worse, ever since his best friend Ariel has been gone, he's been unable to sleep, spending night after night torturing himself for his role in her absence. And as crazy as it sounds, Evan's starting to believe it's Ariel that's behind all of this, punishing him. But the more Evan starts to unravel the mystery, the more his paranoia and insomnia amplify, and the more he starts to unravel himself.

I absolutely adored the last two books I read by David Levithan (The Lover's Dictionary and Will Grayson, Will Grayson), so I was pretty excited to pick up his latest– a novel inspired by a set of haunting photographs taken my Jonathan Farmer and e-mailed to him one at a time as he wrote the book. The premise was also intriguing, but although I didn't dislike Every You, Every Me, I was disappointed I couldn't fall in love with it either.

The use of strike out when writing is sometimes effective, I appreciated it in Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson for example, but I found it mostly distracting here. The writing is sparse but has an impact, and the book is a lot darker than anything I've read by Levithan before (for example, Boy Meets Boy) but feels genuine. Every You, Every Me takes on some important issues, though I won't be more specific to avoid spoiling it, and it does so with eloquence and authenticity. The novel itself is just as eerie as the cover would indicate.

Every You, Every Me is filled with the kind of angst and emotional struggle I probably would have had more appreciation for if I'd been reading the book as a teen, instead of in my early twenties. I felt very disconnected from all the characters in this book, and therefore wasn't invested in what happened to them, or had happened to them. YA is usually a genre that I love, even if I'm not in the intended age bracket, but maybe teens would better relate to Every You, Every Me than I did. Of course, I'm certainly not giving up on Levithan– I just won't be rereading this specific book of his.

Review Elsewhere: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

"Although I have loved books by both John Green (Looking for Alaska) and David Levithan (The Lover’s Dictionary) separately, together they simply blew me away with a story that is heart-warming, hilarious, and completely honest. "

Click here to read the rest of my review.

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

"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."

The Lover's Dictionary is the first adult novel by David Levithan, the author behind young adult books such as Boy Meets Boy and Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, which I'd previously enjoyed. The novel is a completely unique concept- a love story told through dictionary entries- and it is one I had been greatly looking forward to. The first entry of the book involves the nameless male narrator meeting his genderless love for the first time, but after that the entries are alphabetical but not chronological. On one page he may be deeply falling in love, while on the next he discovers his lover has cheated. In this way Levithan perfectly captures the ups and down of love. Each entry is it's perfect little story, two of my favourite examples are:

autonomy, n.
“I want my books to have their own shelves,” you said, and that’s how I knew it would be okay to live together.

corrode, v.
I spent all this time building a relationship. Then one night I left the window open, and it started to rust.

The Lover's Dictionary is fairly short, especially when you consider that there is quite a bit of blank space on many of the pages, and yet it poignantly captures not only the feelings of falling in love, but what exactly comes after. Levithan deals with issues such as alcoholism and infidelity and the role they can play in a relationship. The love Levithan is writing about does not restrict itself to a specific gender or person, which is part of the reason I appreciated that both main characters remained nameless, and although the narrator was male his lover was not mentioned by gender, in this way the universal nature of The Lover's Dictionary is made clear.

The Lover's Dictionary is such a perfect little powerful book. The concept itself is extremely creative, but it never comes across as gimmicky, as the reader is so taken into the love story that Levithan has written. Many of the words used are ones I actually had to look up in the dictionary, only to be in awe of how well the descriptions used in this book captured them. I figure it is only appropriate to end this review with a definition of my own: 

The Lover's Dictionary, book.
A wistful and poetic short novel on a universal topic by David Levithan, easily recommended to anyone who knows what it is like to fall in love. Worth reading, worth sharing. 

Release Date: January 4th, 2011
Pages: 224
Overall: 5/5
Source: Publisher
Buy the Book

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

 "I was horribly bookish, to the point of coming right out and saying it, which I knew was not socially acceptable. I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler."

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares is the latest addition to the collection of co-written books by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan which include Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Although I have read Levithan before (Boy Meets Boy) this was my first book by the two of them and they are a fantastic team. In Dash and Lily's Book of Dares both characters are spending Christmas alone after their parents are out of town for various reasons. When Lily leaves a red Moleskin at the Strand secondhand bookstore next to Franny and Zooey with a list of clues, she never thinks that it will be picked up by the articulate and bookish Dash. Over the course of the Christmas break the two trade stories, dreams, and even a few dares which get both of them out of their comfort zones- but when the time comes to meet with Dash and Lily connect in person like they have on the page?

The characters in Dash and Lily are both quirky, awkward, and instantly likable in a way that reminds me strongly of many of Nick Hornby's books, like About a Boy or High Fidelity, but for young adults. Both Dash and Lily see themselves as freaks or outcasts when the truth is that anybody who reads this book is likely to see a bit of themselves in the characters. As somebody who was an extremely socially awkward teenager who has always been better with written words than conversation, I appreciated both the benefits and the flaws inherent in getting to know somebody through the written media. It's the same problem common to the internet- as Dash puts it, how can the person in your head ever live up to the actual real person? And it's certainly something the characters Dash and Lily have to come to terms with.

The setting in Dash and Lily is extremely important, and Cohn and Levithan made you feel like you were right in New York City during the hustle and bustle of Christmas season. The book has a slight tint of fantasy- I'm not entirely convinced these things would happen, but it's perfect to get you in the mood for the holidays and time with a loved one. As a Jew, I also found the bits involving klezmer pretty funny. Although there isn't anything revolutionary about Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, it's an extremely enjoyable read with likable characters and a few life lessons too. ****

Number of Pages: 272 pages

Published: October 2010
Source: Publisher