Mundie Moms

Monday, October 3, 2011

Book Review: Love Is The Higher Law


Published by: Random House
Released on: August 25th, 2009
Source: Traded
4 stars: I Liked It
Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble

First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . .

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever- quoted from Goodreads

This weekend I had the opportunity to meet David and listen to him a few other YA authors talk about their books and of course writing. Someone had asked David about writing this particular book, and his answer to that question is what made me want to pick it up and read it before reading his other books. I'm a little surprised I've waited so long to read David's books, even though I own a few of them. Love is the Higher Law is my first David Levithan book to read. I know, it's a shocker.

It's now been ten years since September 11th, and I was really surprised at the amount of emotion I felt while reading this story. I still remember exactly what I was doing when the news broke, and I can't even begin to comprehend what it was like to experience something on this magnitude first hand. It's unthinkable and David's writing really allowed me to connect with what his three characters experienced and went through, first hand. Seeing this story told through their eyes made it all the more real, and it felt like going back to that day all over again.

It was so easy to get wrapped up into the emotions that each character felt, the worry, anxiety, fear, uncertainty, confusion and the doubt. Through his beautifully told, moving story, David created three unique characters who's stories not only intwine in a well written way realistic way, but they tell a story that's heartbreaking, unfathomable, and hopefully. What united them together, united all of us. I loved David's attention to the little details that gave hope to those in the story, and inspired others around them.

The thing I really enjoyed about the story was the journey three complete strangers went on together. They were united in their efforts to comprehend the events that turned their world's upside down, and together they formed a friendship that took them through tragedy and gave them hope for the future. Taking that journey with them was moving and inspirational. I can't even imagine what it was like for David to write this, but I'm glad he did. This is a story that captured so many feelings, and emotions on a day so many of us will never forget. There is some language, uses of the f word and mild mentions of sex in this book.

4 comments:

  1. This sounds like a heavy book but a fantastic one. I'll have to check it out. Thank you ladies for reviewing it, otherwise I might have passed it up.

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  2. While I'm a fan of David's, I surprisingly hadn't looked into this book all that much. But I definitely will be picking up a copy if I see one thanks to your lovely review. Glad you enjoyed it! :-)

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  3. Good review, MMs; I plan on picking it up. Weighty subject for sure, but I'm glad stories are being written about it.

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  4. Heather- You're so welcome. It's surprisingly a short book, and a quick read. It's one that's packed with so much emotion and hope.

    DJ- Aw, thank you! His writing is amazing and I really like the bond the three characters formed and seeing how much they changed over the course of the book. It's definitely one that's stayed with me.

    Sophie- Thank you! I think you'll enjoy it. I'm looking forward to reading more of David's work.

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