The Lover's Dictionary

Picked this up in a walking hut. Odd to think someone would have carried it with them on a trek, I read it in an hour before dinner! Firstly just random entries, and then when I realised it was intended to be read in order - like a novel, not a dictionary! - I went back to the beginning.

And found myself charmed. A bold concept and executed perfectly. Entries are sometimes a line, others a page: poems or stories or random thoughts or rants or aphorisms or philosophy, but always engaging. Sometimes beautiful, often sad, but always rooted in the reality of being in a relationship. I enjoyed how neurotic the narrator was, how full of doubt: is she really the one? Even after heart wrenching descriptions of his feelings. In fact, that juxtaposition seemed to be the heart of it, and a couple of entries brilliantly capture that duality (I don't have the book now, but the gist being, for each tiny thing she does that twists you up with delight, and melts your heart, there's another habit that drives you insane). The titles (defined words) are rarely mentioned in the entries themselves, and often cause you to reevaluate the meaning of the piece.

I enjoyed how the format forces a non linear plot, so you're aware of... later developments early in the book, but the author still manages to reveal things in stages to some extent such that you feel there's some progression occurring.

But: there's no real ending - or beginning. Just like a dictionary. And just like love. Who can say exactly at which moment this magical thing occurs? Love affairs and relationships are made up of tiny instants, fleeting moments, simple words. This book is both a great descriptor of, and metaphor for, love itself.

“dumbfounded, adj.

And still, for all the jealousy, all the doubt, sometimes I will be struck with a kind of awe that we're together. That someone like me could find someone like you—it renders me wordless. Because surely words would conspire against such luck, would protest the unlikelihood of such a turn of events.

I didn't tell any of my friends about our first date. I waited until after the second, because I wanted to make sure it was real. I wouldn't believe it had happened until it happened again. Then, later on, I would be overwhelmed by the evidence, by all the lines connecting you to me, and us to love.”

I was really looking forward to reading this one, I mean, what a concept – tell a love story through a series of personal dictionary entries. Amazon gives a sample or two (I'd provide my own, but I don't have the book on me): “breathtaking (adj.),” the unnamed narrator explains, “Those moments when we kiss and surrender for an hour before we say a single word.” For “exacerbate (v.),” he notes, “I believe your exact words were: ‘You're getting too emotional.'“

Some of the entries are short, not even a sentence long; some go on for a page or two. Some are funny, some are bitter, some are lovey-dovey and sweet. The entries are listed alphabetically, rather than chronologically, so the reader has to piece together the story from beginning to end.

Great, great concept.

And that's pretty much all it is.

Sure, it was skillfully accomplished. Can't complain about the execution. But beyond that, there's little to be said about it. It comes across as little more than a clever exercise for a Creative Writing course.

I was pretty disappointed in case you can't tell.

I consider myself a little bit of a book snob, but there are certain bookish genres that snag me every time. One of these is the concept-book. The Lover's Dictionary is a concept-book. Its charm lies in the cleverness of its form. The entire book is written in the form of dictionary entries. (Amy Krause Rosenthal did something similar in her book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.)



And I loved it. The entries were thoughtful and true and surprising. Book gimmick, you got me again.



Here is a little sample:



deciduous, adj.



I couldn't believe one person could own so many shoes, and still buy new ones every year.

somewhat inspiring and an enjoyable, short read! I think it could've been better if the timing was clearer, or the timeline was laid out easier for the reader to grasp, but I do understand that the not-doing-that was intentional... like it was obviously ambiguous on purpose, that just isn't usually my style. anyway, glad to call another book completed after this silly reading slump I've been in!

Simplistic yet rich, Levithan's novel is unique. Styled as a “dictionary” of one unnamed couple
s relationship, Levithan spins poetic webs out of utterly mundane events of life. I lament losing my copy, and have spent much time trying to find it again, hoping to be sucked back into Levithan's prose, full force.

2018: reading this book is like meeting an old friend. I'm older and in a different place in my life than when I picked this book up the first time, and I felt each word in a different yet utterly familiar way. A masterpiece worthy of regular rereading.

High recommend for a fun read. The story is written as a series of short dictionary “definitions.” Some entries will make you smile and others will crack open old heartbreaks. The story leaves a lot of blanks, so you will naturally fill them in based on your own experiences. Maybe I just read it in the right mood.

3.5 stars — I like books that takes risks or are told in unconventional ways. This one is told through the notes on a dictionary. It is a non-linear story of love, or well, a love that failed. This is a poetic book, almost free verse.

I also like the non-linear way this is told, with how they fell in love and how it ended told all at once, changing our perception. My past relationships feel almost tainted by what happens at the end. A break up changes your opinion of a partner and I feel the non-linear aspect really conveys that. We learn they were cheated on early in the book, but we also get parts of their early relationship and love just after. You want to say “Aww” at the relationship moments, but since we know the ending, we don't and I think it changes our view of the the relationship.

I think love is an overall complicated thing, and Leviathan did a great job of depicting different stages of a relationship. At times, I found the prose to be a little dull, but I appreciate this book tried to be experimental and is a nice short read.

3/5 stars

This book was definitely not for me, I guess. I would say that you have to be in a very specific mood in order to read this book. I saw other reviews mention that you would have to be a “bit more idealistic and optimistic about romantic outcomes”. I think this is very true because the person who recommended this book is very idealistic when it comes to romance.

Overall, it was not a bad book. It was in a very different format than what I would typically read. Some sections were more like vignettes, while others read like poetry. I still felt like at times it did get grating, especially since a lot of sections seem to be the same story just with a different flair to it.