The Lover's Dictionary

“[A] charming short novel about a love affair and its bittersweet evolution from first flirt to shaky domesticity.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“A clever distillation of a love story.” —The New York Times

How does one talk about love? Is it even possible to describe something at once utterly mundane and wholly transcendent, that has the power to consume our lives completely, while making us feel part of something infinitely larger than ourselves?

Taking a unique approach to this age-old problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan's The Lover’s Dictionary constructs the story of a relationship as a dictionary. Through these sharp entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of coupledom, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.

“Levithan attains some heartbreaking moments as well as pitches of hilarity with his concise, polished writing.” —Publishers Weekly

“Levithan brings ingenuity and a wry edge to his first adult novel. . . . Among the novel's pleasures are micro-stories that speak volumes, reminiscent of Lydia Davis’s work.” - NPR.org

“David Levithan makes every word count. . . . Levithan gives readers the kind of love story that Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse-Five would have appreciated: unstuck in time, reliving moments in unpredictable order and in varying emotional colors. . . . An equal opportunity romance with wit and rue, kisses and tears, that anyone can enjoy.” -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel