The Lover's Dictionary

Levithan, David. The Lover’s Dictionary. 2011. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 211 pages. $18.00 ISBN: 9374193683

Plot Summary:

The Lover’s Dictionary is the story of a relationship told through a series of dictionary entries arranged alphabetically rather than chronologically, letting the reader use their imagination to fill in blanks in the story. Each word serves as inspiration for an anecdote about the relationship. The story looks back at the relationship of a young couple from their meeting through an online dating site and what they discuss on their first date. Levithan describes the main points in the relationship, such as the decision to move in together and also the small seemingly insignificant details, such as his surprise at the size of her shoe collection and she surprise that he didn’t own a full length mirror. Levithan builds up to the event that will test the future of their relationship, feeding the reader details over the course of several entries making this a fast-paced novel that readers will devour.

Critical Review:

Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary, is a story about a real relationship, the good, the bad, and all the ups and downs in between. This is not a story of first love, but the story is till youthful and would be appropriate for older teens. The narrator’s emotions are raw, strong, and very honest, which will be appreciated by teen readers. The narrator’s voice is reflective and entirely relatable. I found The Lover’s Dictionary to be a romantic and remarkably true accounting of a relationship.

This is also a great vocabulary building book and a fun way to expose teens to SAT prep words. Levithan cleverly defines each entry in relation to the couple, such as in his entry for motif:

“motif, n.

You don’t love me as much as I love you. You don’t love me as much as I love you. You don’t love me as much as I love you.”

Teens are bound to learn a few new words while reading this modern romance.

Genre:

Realistic Contemporary Fiction

Romance

Interest Level:

Grade 9 and up

Subjects/Themes:

Dictionaries

Relationships

Awards/Honors:

Alex Award 2012

Booklist Editors’ Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults, 2011

Author’s Website:

http://www.davidlevithan.com/

Annotation:

In The Lover’s Dictionary the story of a young couple’s relationship unfolds in a series of dictionary entries.

Book Talking Ideas:

I love the idea of using this book as a fun way to learn SAT prep words. I recognized many of Levithan’s chosen vocabulary familiar from my SAT prep in high school English. Levithan does not outright define each word, but rather demonstrates the meaning through the associated moment in the relationship. For example the entry for abstain v., the narrator describes his surprise when his girlfriend did not order a drink when they went out the night before. He ponders what her decision to not drink could mean. The clear association with the word abstain is the decision to not partake of something, such as alcohol.

Why I chose to include this book:

I chose to include The Lover’s Dictionary because I thought the writing style sounded original and like something that might appeal to teens. I also considered the fact that Levithan was awarded an 2012 Alex Award for best adult novel for teens. Levithan may be writing for adults in The Lover’s Dictionary, but his youthful voice and experience writing young adult literature, makes this an excellent cross over novel for teens.

Potential Challenges:

The Lover's Dictionary is an adult novel with crossover appeal for teens, but because the intended audience is older the book includes some swearing and references to sex.