The Book of Love

A Novel

By: Kelly Link

Narrated by: January LaVoy

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE • FINALIST FOR THE NEBULA AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE

In the acclaimed first novel from short story virtuoso and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link, three teenagers become pawns in a supernatural power struggle.

“A dreamlike, profoundly beautiful novel [that] pushes our understanding of what a fantasy novel can be.”—Amal El-Mohtar, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

“Imagine a ring of David Mitchell and Stephen King books dancing around a fire until something new, brave, and wonderful rose up from the flames.”—Isaac Fitzgerald, Today

ONE OF VULTURE AND PUBLISHER WEEKLY’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The New Yorker, Time, Town & Country, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, New York Post, Book Riot, Lit Hub

The Book of Love showcases Kelly Link at the height of her powers, channeling potent magic and attuned to all varieties of love—from friendship to romance to abiding family ties—with her trademark compassion, wit, and literary derring-do. Readers will find joy (and a little terror) and an affirmation that love goes on, even when we cannot.

Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long been presumed dead. Which, in fact, they are.

With them in the room is their previously unremarkable high school music teacher, who seems to know something about their disappearance—and what has brought them back again. Desperate to reclaim their lives, the three agree to the terms of the bargain their music teacher proposes. They will be given a series of magical tasks; while they undertake them, they may return to their families and friends, but they can tell no one where they’ve been. In the end, there will be winners and there will be losers.

But their resurrection has attracted the notice of other supernatural figures, all with their own agendas. As Laura, Daniel, and Mo grapple with the pieces of the lives they left behind, and Laura’s sister, Susannah, attempts to reconcile what she remembers with what she fears, these mysterious others begin to arrive, engulfing their community in danger and chaos, and it becomes imperative that the teens solve the mystery of their deaths to avert a looming disaster.

Welcome to Kelly Link’s incomparable Lovesend, where you’ll encounter love and loss, laughter and dread, magic and karaoke, and some really good pizza.

Finally, more Kelly link!

I've been a fan of Kelly Link for a while and I always finish her short stories wanting more. The book of love delivers! I finally got to live in the realities she creates (well at least for 24 hours). The narrator also did an exceptional job. looking forward to her next novel!

So repetitive

Enjoyed the first half, but the more I listened, the more it seemed like every 10th sentence was a retelling of something that had already happened. Also, I don’t know if the book would read the same, but the narrator makes the character seem outraged and angry all the time in a way that is soooooo annoying. I loved White Cat Black Dog and had high hopes for this book. No luck. If I were you, I would skip this one.

Worth the time.

Long. A few interesting twists. Kind. Direct. Enjoyed. Good performance! Glad I spent the time.

Great book.

I absolutely loved this book! The author did an amazing job bringing the story to life with vivid detail, engaging storytelling, and characters that felt so real. I was completely drawn in from start to finish. What truly elevated the experience, though, was the narrator. she was phenomenal! She voiced each character with such creativity and distinction that it felt like a full cast performance. Her talent added so much depth and personality to the story. I couldn’t stop listening!

Moving, inventive, poignant and magical

Loved the plot, that follows its own unfolding in surprising ways. It’s a beautiful telling of self discovery, sibling affection and competition, and sacrificial love. It’s also hilarious and totally believable, even as it’s fantastical. The performance is captivating. Loved this so much.