Review – What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
I must have been a really good child this past year. My Secret Santa (well, not-so-secret-Santa as he likes to call it) bought me this book that I had been meaning to buy since more than a year.
Procrastination aside, I wanted it pretty bad (oxymoron alert!).
I searched for it in almost every bookstore in my city but in vain! I didn’t want to get it online because I had a bad experience once but that’s gossip for later.
Some Backstory
It all started one fine night when I watched Josh Boone’s “Stuck in Love.” Then on, Raymond Carver was everywhere.
On Facebook, he told me he could hear everyone’s heart beating and on Pinterest, he said we ought to be ashamed when we think we know what we are talking about when we talk about love.
On the big screen, he asked me if I got what I wanted from life.
I found him here and there quite frequently, which kept fanning my flames for him.
Finally, I received “What I Talk About When We Talk About Love” for Christmas and I devoured the book.
Why Read?
Ray Carver is a master at storytelling. In “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” Carver spins his yarn like a complex web. Yet, its simplicity slices through your heart. The sharp and direct tone, the emotional content and the distinct characters make this a good, fast but saddening read.
It takes a little getting used to to Carver’s style. It’s all very abrupt and jarring. I had to read a few stories twice to understand what I missed for it to end so suddenly. I beat myself up for not understanding the depth but as I progressed from one story to another, I realized its beauty lay in its simplicity.
I tried to find a pattern in the stories. I even tried looking for a theme and connecting the tales. I was drowning in them, struggling to find familiarity.
There was no such thing thankfully!
In Conclusion
“What We Talk About When We Talk About Love ” is unpredictable. It is definitely not what it sounds like. It drips melancholy. It reeks of the scent of perspective on human communication and relationships!
It was nothing like I had expected it to be and I am glad it wasn’t.
Great review. I want to read this book. Now!!
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