Emily Temple is the author of The Lightness and the Managing Editor at Literary Hub. She earned her MFA in fiction from the University of Virginia, where she was the recipient of a Henfield Prize. [My Book, The Movie: The Lightness; The Page 69 Test: The Lightness]
At Lit Hub Temple tagged seven great "love stories for those who basically tolerate love, but have their doubts." One title on the list:
Kelly Link, The Book of Love (2024)Read about the other entries on the list.
I can’t resist including Link’s long-awaited doorstopper (insert wry/earnest commentary about this being the beloved MacArthur Genius Grant recipient’s debut novel here) in this list. It is actually a big and big-hearted (though not in the corny way) contemporary fantasy novel (for adults), and not cynical in the least, except for the snarky Buffy the Vampire Slayer energy that permeates its pages. But if you are, possibly, a cynic looking for something to give you some renewed faith in love/friendship/literature in this month of cold and candy hearts, and/or find yourself wishing for a little more magic in your life, this is the novel for you. It’s even red.
--Marshal Zeringue
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