Love shines through in “19 Love Songs”

 What is love? It’s a basic question with multiple complex answers. Love varies from platonic, friendships, romantic, and familial, all different ways to love. Love motivates a player to join his crush’s team and then sabotage their chances at victory. A wandering soul finds comfort in a mother’s love on Valentine’s Day. A young man steps out of his comfort zone to make a Christmas wish come true.

“19 Love Songs” by David Levithan is an anthological look at the different types and ways to love. The book is a compilation of stories each written by Levithan on Valentine’s Day as letters to his friends. This orchestrated symphony of love offers representation to under-published groups of people. 

The way complex feelings that a human goes through when in a state of love are captured beautifully throughout the mix of characters. The multitude of characters within Levithan’s 19 short stories are likable, and emotionally relatable. The characters are, depending on which story, heartfelt, fun, dramatic, embarrassing, hopeful and full of wonder. They truly encompass the emotions that come with humanity.

Some of the stories are lacking in world building that would’ve initially come in the exposition of a regular novel, and as a reader some stories become interesting enough to want to read more just as the chapter comes to a close.

Though the book has some rough edges around it, the book in general is quite emotionally fulfilling, and the usage of quick cuts to the end of the chapters makes me want to read more about these short stories. If they ever were to be published as full stand alone books I would definitely go and pick them up. 

Some of his short stories even are from some of his other novels, or at least are an ode to background characters giving them a cameo and getting to peek into their lives. Some connected novels include “Two Boys Kissing,” “Boy Meets Boy” and “Every Day”

Overall I personally would recommend this book to others, especially those who are queer, those who love love in any shape and form, or those who enjoyed the mentioned novels by Levithan. Levithan’s novel “19 Love Songs” is a kind and fair representation of “love is love,” a strong four out of five stars!