In Kelly Link's wonderfully oddball debut novel The Book of Love, she uses every bit of the book's 640 pages to build realities, possibilities, magical developments, quirky fun, deep connection, and second chances you'll be cheering for.
In Kelly Link's strange, intriguing debut novel, The Book of Love, teenagers Mo, Daniel, and Laura have tragically disappeared from their hometown of Lovesend, Massachusetts, and have been presumed dead.
One year later, they find themselves sitting in a fluorescent-lit classroom in their seaside town with Mr. Anabin, their high school music teacher, before them. He is, as always, wearing a corny, optimistic motto on his T-shirt. But they soon realize that Mr. Anabin is capable of powerful magic, that he knows where the teens have been trapped for the past year and why, and he's advising them on what to do next.
Along with a quirky, sassy magical being whose intentions are unclear, Mr. Anabin offers them a chance to compete in magical tasks in order to reclaim their lives.
Meanwhile, mysterious forces with dangerous plans converge upon Lovesend, drawn by the resurrection of the kids and the hope of regaining a key that will allow access to dark places and big magic.
Their friends and family all believe the three teenagers have been in Ireland at a music program--but can't shake a vague sadness lingering from the real grief they've been experiencing for a eyar.
The teens are trying to come to terms with what their existences might look like now, and their families are still reeling from their loss. Plus, Mo is falling for a new guy in town who might or might not be real, Daniel is trying to remember why he broke up with Laura's sister Susannah before he died, Laura is determined to use logic to figure out what's happening, and music seems to be instrumental (see what I did there?) to the whole situation.
The kids will need to remember what happened the night they died and figure out the reason for their disappearance--and their return--if there's any hope of a future for them.
I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, but I also appreciate that Link didn't take an easy way out in which the teens and their allies fix everything, voila! Some aspects are resolved, while others are left in a limbo that feels appropriate in its uncertainties and dark shadows.
This is twisty and odd, quirky and fun, and has lots of heart. At almost 650 pages long, there's enough page time for Link to build various realities, tear them down, and reimagine new ones while the reader scrambles to keep up. The Book of Love explores reality, connections, loyalty, possibilities, and second chances. I was hooked.
I received a prepublication edition of this book (which was published this time last year, oops!) courtesy of NetGalley and Random House.
More Bossy love for oddball novels and second-chance stories
For more oddball novels, check out the titles at this link. And for Bossy love for alternate realities, check out these books.
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