The Course of Love

I think I heard this book recommended on a podcast, but I don't remember which one or in what context it was recommended - something rather insightful was said, I would wager, such that I immediately requested the book from my library.

I wish I could say I loved it, but I feel pretty lukewarm. On the one hand, this is an insightful longitudinal study in a very ordinary marriage, allowing the reader into the view of how epic and dramatic any ordinary marriage becomes. I thought the pieces of relationship psychology were interesting and are well-supported by the literature (according to my friend who majored in Psychology and gets an intellectual hard-on anytime “attachment theory” is mentioned). I dog-eared a bunch of pages to make sure I write down and internalize what is unequivocally good relationship advice.

But on the other hand, the writing leaves me unimpressed. It reads like a didactic case study, not a novel (and I should know, I work in textbooks). The characters are over-explained - classic telling vs showing (come on, that's Good Writing 101!). The dialogue is forced, if not cringe-worthy, and I skimmed a whole lot. But the parts that hit home will stay with me a long time.

So... maybe pick this up, but more as a kind of cheesy educational resource than an exciting read.

One sentence synopsis... A post-happily-ever-after love story told by a wise, all-seeing narrator and sprinkled with philosophical reflections. .

Read it if you like... 500 Days of Summer, both in it's use of a detached, sincere, and sometime humorous narrator and also the reality of the romance. .

Dream casting... Dev Patel as Rabih and Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kirsten.

An intimate journey with a couple of mixed origin. A means to think over the difficulties a modern couple has to face throughout their lives. A reflection on what it means to be a good wife or husband, or partner, and a way to survive with all our imperfections, without being alone with someone on the other side of the bed. There a gems here, thoughts that will make you want to re-read this particular book, paragraphs you might feel tempted to save just in case...