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
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Waiting on Wednesday: The Lover's Dictionary

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases.

This week I'm waiting on the latest release from David Levithan, The Lover's Dictionary. Levithan is the author of many wonderful young adult books including Boy Meets Boy and (co-written with Rachel Cohn) Dash & Lily's Book of Dares. However The Lover's Dictionary is his first fore-ray into adult territory. From the description it seems like it will have the same touch of fantasy and magic his previous books have had. Also, the idea of a story told entirely through dictionary entries is pretty exciting for the book nerd in me.

A sweet and touching modern love story, told through dictionary entries 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 moment does 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.

The Lover's Dictionary is going to be released by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on January 4th 2011 and I'd love to be able to post a review of it in time for Valentine's Day, it just seems so perfect.

How do you feel about unusual book formats? What are you waiting on this Wednesday?