WOW!

I just finished “Heart the Lover,” the latest novel by Lily King, and it blew me away! This book was powerful and it had some very important foundational questions about life, love, relationships, regret and grief that it raises.

The story is about an unnamed narrator and her college flings and love interests with a couple of bright young men. They are in advanced, seminar classes and she is doing her normal coursework. They challenge her views of what standard to hold herself to and she is drawn into their world.

The story is written in three parts. The first part about their initial relationships, the rise and fall of infatuation and first love, and then disappointments of breakups. It culminates in a critical point where both main characters need to decide what their future holds and their individual choices. The second part is an encounter that is a microcosm of the choices each make. The final part is a reckoning and revisiting of events now in a new light.

Ms. King’s strongest devices she uses in the novel is the dialogue between characters and then the internal dialogue of the narrator. What she says versus what she is thinking. I found myself taking notes and writing down main snippets of both to review and revisit while I read. It is not a book that I could just plow through, instead I had to slowly digest it and chew on it and break it down. It was so masterfully written. It is definitely a book I want to come back to, read again and savor for many years to come.

I’ll say it again, “WOW!” I definitely recommend this book! You can buy it here from Amazon, or anywhere else you love to shop for books.