By Ruel S. De Vera, Associate Editor
Sunday Inquirer Magazine
AS a dual-layered way of expressing affection, choosing favorite romantic movies, books and whatnot resonates. It is not only a choice of a specific form over another (It loves me, it loves me not…) but also of specific content. Living up to the fact that I am very much a book nut, I've decided to impose on you dear readers certain books I've recently read, books centered around a love story (as compared to plain old romances). Take note that this is a list of book's I've read within the last year or so, not an ultimate all-time list of books about love stories. That would be a truly intimidating task, though I imagine Pablo Neruda and Nick Bantock should make that list easily. But this is about new reading material. Some may be a bit out there, but at the end of the reading, each one exemplifies the magnetic pull of romance, a force strong enough to mend or rend lives. In no particular order:
"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" by Rachel Cohn and Dan Levitan: My current favorite. Ostensibly a novel for young adults, "Playlist" is a stunningly winning tale of a single night in New York built around punk rock, Judaism and a yellow Yugo (the car not the defunct nationality) named Jessie. Oh and two lost soul mates named Nick and Norah, duh. There's a charming movie based on it starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, a thoroughly enjoyable adaptation that diverges away from the book rather heavily. The movie is pretty good. The book is awesome.
"Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane" by Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa: Why is a comic book series included in this list? Because McKeever and Miyazawa, through a reimagined contemporary take on Mary Jane Watson, (she has a cellphone now) tackles the bittersweet and yet broadband-quick world of high school romance with just the barest dappling of superheroic high jinks (though the bit with Firestar was very nice). The series has been restarted with Terry Moore at the helm, but the original two hardcovers are just lovely.
"The Post-Birthday World" by Lionel Shriver: Perhaps the saddest good book on love you will find, Shriver's novel is easily compared to that Gwyneth Paltrow-John Hannah movie "Sliding Doors," where a woman makes a choice and two timelines emerged. We find out that sometimes things are beyond our power to change. This book is the intelligent, nuanced, heartbreaking but unforgettable iteration of the idea.
"Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer: Yes, this book has its share of flaws and yes Stephen King hates it, but this book won over readers because of ideas. One of them is the forbidden and problematic attraction between a vampire (how much badder can this boy be? He's dead) and a human (a self-involved ninny at times to be honest). But it's the other element I'm impressed by: Meyer's ability to accurately or at least convincingly depict the modern teenager's thought process when falling in love. It's the best of the series even if it was the first because—painful dialogue aside—it made us think that the vampire-human pairing could happen.
"Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro: Ishiguro knows how to write about the slow burn of affection. "The Remains of the Day" smoldered with it. But "Never Let Me Go," an unusual concoction of sci-fi and romance, takes the idea to a new level. If clones, grown only for their organs, fall in love, what are they to do? This book has the haunting but subtle answer.
Read about other things Valentine's Day related in the February 8, 2009 issue of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine.
"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" by Rachel Cohn and Dan Levitan: My current favorite. Ostensibly a novel for young adults, "Playlist" is a stunningly winning tale of a single night in New York built around punk rock, Judaism and a yellow Yugo (the car not the defunct nationality) named Jessie. Oh and two lost soul mates named Nick and Norah, duh. There's a charming movie based on it starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, a thoroughly enjoyable adaptation that diverges away from the book rather heavily. The movie is pretty good. The book is awesome.
"Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane" by Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa: Why is a comic book series included in this list? Because McKeever and Miyazawa, through a reimagined contemporary take on Mary Jane Watson, (she has a cellphone now) tackles the bittersweet and yet broadband-quick world of high school romance with just the barest dappling of superheroic high jinks (though the bit with Firestar was very nice). The series has been restarted with Terry Moore at the helm, but the original two hardcovers are just lovely.
"The Post-Birthday World" by Lionel Shriver: Perhaps the saddest good book on love you will find, Shriver's novel is easily compared to that Gwyneth Paltrow-John Hannah movie "Sliding Doors," where a woman makes a choice and two timelines emerged. We find out that sometimes things are beyond our power to change. This book is the intelligent, nuanced, heartbreaking but unforgettable iteration of the idea.
"Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer: Yes, this book has its share of flaws and yes Stephen King hates it, but this book won over readers because of ideas. One of them is the forbidden and problematic attraction between a vampire (how much badder can this boy be? He's dead) and a human (a self-involved ninny at times to be honest). But it's the other element I'm impressed by: Meyer's ability to accurately or at least convincingly depict the modern teenager's thought process when falling in love. It's the best of the series even if it was the first because—painful dialogue aside—it made us think that the vampire-human pairing could happen.
"Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro: Ishiguro knows how to write about the slow burn of affection. "The Remains of the Day" smoldered with it. But "Never Let Me Go," an unusual concoction of sci-fi and romance, takes the idea to a new level. If clones, grown only for their organs, fall in love, what are they to do? This book has the haunting but subtle answer.
Read about other things Valentine's Day related in the February 8, 2009 issue of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine.
now I stay tuned!