The History of Love

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss is more than a book – it’s an experience. The very first sentence (fragment) warns you that this is an untraditional read: “When they write my obituary.”

These words are the first spoken by Leo Gursky, the central character in one of three story arcs in the book. He draws you into the book immediately with his self-deprecating humor and beautifully sad outlook on the world. The other key players, fourteen year-old Alma Singer and sympathetic plagiarist Zvi Litvinoff, are just as engaging. Krauss writes each character with a unique, lovable personality that makes you genuinely care about what them finding what they’re searching for.

The book is about a book: a beautiful declaration of love written by Leo sixty years ago, and lost to a flood – or so he thought. Before his death, Zvi, Leo’s childhood friend, translated the book from Yiddish to Spanish and passed it off as his own in an effort to impress the woman he loves. Alma’s father got a hold of this book while visiting South America from Israel and named his daughter after the only girl in the book, which represents every girl in the world. When Alma’s now-widowed mother receives a letter from a stranger asking her to translate The History of Love into English, Alma sets off to find the woman that inspired the book. She’s not the only one traveling around Brooklyn – Leo is also on a journey to get to know the son he never got a chance to meet. The way the characters’ lives twist around one another is fascinating and told with stunningly beautiful detail.

The History of Love is an amazing read - from the first page, it became one of my favorites. The story is so beautiful, haunting, funny, smart, and intricate. Every world pulls you farther into this whimsical and yet very grounded world. It reminds me of another of my favorite books, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. And no wonder - the two young writers are married! Now that's a house I would love to be invited to.