Here is another book review on a book I just bought last week, called How They Met (And Other Stories) by David Levithan. He's the same author who wrote Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, if you've read those two novels. I think he's one of the greatest writers out there, portraying love in different ways, rather than the typical and cliché type that prevails in most books nowadays.
Being a fan of David Levithan and his works, I was intrigued to pick up another novel by him, but this time, it was a collection of short stories. It all started when David was in his physics class back in high school, and since he was bored out of his wits, he decided to look for all the romantic notions in his physics book. With that, he started to write a story, and he gave it to his friends for Valentine's Day. The next year, they asked for another, and so on, until he compiled it into this collection.
How They Met (And Other Stories) talks about love, and all kinds of love. Regardless of sexual orientation, it talks love at first sight. It talks about teenage love, and wanting to live in the moment, while in the arms of the one you love. It talks about standing up and waiting for the one you love, no matter how much it hurts. It features love between friends, love between family, and all kinds of love in between. There are happy endings, but there are also broken hearts, but that's what makes this book exciting: it's both expected and unexpected.
This book is a good read, especially if you're into the romantic genre. Although, it doesn't entirely focus on romance, but it also focuses on mending family relationships, and also about finding yourself through loving others. With stories about prom, first dates, and Starbucks encounters, this book relates to young and old people alike. The stories aren't what you expect, as society claims love to be (seeing as most of the stories disregard sexual orientation), but it's a meaningful book nonetheless. It makes you appreciate the relationships around you, and how everything somehow intersects.
I have a few favorite stories, one of which is Starbucks Boy, the starter of the collection. It's a cute, simple way of expressing love at first sight, making it seem that it would be something that would happen in real life. It's real, it's deep, and it gives you butterflies. The Escalator, A Love Story is a short story, talking about the bordeline of like and love. How do you know when you like someone, and how do you know if it's real love? One of the best stories in this book is The Number of People You Meet on Airplanes. An old man revisits on how he met his wife, and coincidentally, it was through a matchmaker, who paired them up on an airplane. It makes you realize that things do intersect, and maybe there is such a thing as destiny.
I'll leave you with this sweet phrase from the story, What A Song Can Do. This story was the only one in the collection that left me in tears, and what's unique about it is that it isn't written in normal prose form. It talks about love, music, and how the world isn't beautiful without it.
Buy your own copy of How They Met (And Other Stories) by David Levithan, available in all leading bookstores nationwide!
