One day you burn a bridge and there’s no way back.
You walk down the street lost in space because what you thought was certain, no longer exists. It is at the moment when a relationship ends that all you can feel is infinite pain. There were no tears, no shouting, and yet, you are empty. It is simply you and the void.
You find yourself staring at the darkness of your room, trying over, and over again to remember the good times, the times of laughter, long talks, and orgasms; however, all you’re left with are the fights, jealousy and betrayal.
When words fail us, we turn to the pages of trusted books that voice all the emotions that play havoc in our lives.
When we are experiencing a breakup, time heals all wounds; nevertheless, books, which are the written records all human emotion, can become our allies in helping us get over that person. We must warn you, these books are not going to be easy to read if you’re brokenhearted, however, they will change your perspective. If you are single, read them before jumping into the love train because they have invaluable lessons to teach.
Love is a universal subject explored by thousands of writers, and there are great stories, from classics like Lolita, The Sorrows of Young Werther, to Love Story by Erich Segal, and Mud by Guillermo Fadanelli. The following books are about love and loss and each one presents a particular point of view. When the final page has been turned, we’re sure you’ll learn the true meaning of love.
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (1999), David Foster Wallace
“How odd, I can have all this inside me and to you it’s just words,” is the last thing Foster Wallace wrote. He was one of the greatest American writers and while many consider love is not central to his work, it is still very relevant. This powerful emotion is hidden in the multiple footnotes, and only one has to read between the lines of the philosophical, social, and cultural themes he constructed in his work.
Brief Interviews is not an easy-to-read book, sometimes it plays with the grotesque, and others it becomes a heartbreaking story. In “The Third Interview”, a man explains why he left his significant other, and it is a brief reminder of the reasons that can motivate us to leave the person we love the most.
Love is a Mixtape (2007), Rob Sheffield
Sheffield was a collaborator for the Rolling Stones for many years and his expertise and knowledge in the music industry allows him to go further than giving artist’s recommendations and what album is good or not. He lives and breathes music and he knows the impact it has on our lives that goes beyond sound. In Love is a Mixtape he tells the story of his own relationship. From the moment he met his wife, to the moment she dies, this is a beautiful, yet, painful journey of love and music. If you thought you knew about The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Weezer, Pearl Jam, and more, think again. Get ready to cry your eyes out.
The Bad Girl (2010), Mario Vargas Llosa
Love has always been present in the work of Vargas Llosa; nevertheless, it wasn’t until 2010 that he decided to explore its crueler side. You will carry The Bad Girl with you wherever you may go, and will be reminded of it every time you see a cold-hearted woman taking advantage of a man’s love. Vargas Llosa breaks the cliché of the woman being a victim, and the narrative travels across different decades and continents. She’s the master puppeteer of a man’s heart and in some fleeting moments we believe she is also falling in love.
Love Lasts Three Years (1997), Frédéric Beigbeder
This novel is narrated in first person, where the leading character, Marc Marronnier, shares the ups and downs of his relationship. While the title may be misleading, this book teaches us love can last if you meet the right person. Marc strongly believes relationships can only last three years, and that after that time, everything goes downhill because the monotony takes over. The satire and humor that the author uses in his narrative make us realize that, indeed, many relationships can only last that long before they fall apart. This is not only a love story, it is also a critique of the Parisian bourgeois world.
Tokio blues (1987), Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami is loved by the public and he couldn’t be missing from this list. As you flick through the pages of his work you discover that his structure and style evoke strong feelings from within. The dialogues he conceives live between dreams and reality. He offers invaluable lessons and encourages his readership to be calm, enjoy adventures, and transform themselves with the power of love and pleasure.
calm, and the adventure of pleasure; transform themselves into life lessons about love. They are faithful companions that stay with you forever.
Love in the Time of Cholera (1985), Gabriel García Márquez
Márquez was always skillful when it came to writing about love; however, putting pen to paper his parent”s relationship proved to be a daunting task and one of his greatest literary challenges. Within the pages of this book you will enter the writer’s most intimate world and experience the spectrum of emotions life has to offer. Page after page, your eyes will well up with tears.
Camille: The Lady of the Camellias (1848), Alexandre Dumas
This is the story of a man who fell in love with a prostitute. Dumas’ prose resembles a poem where the metaphors of love are evoked in the impossible love of a beautiful woman and the heart wrenching pain that comes with it. After reading this book, your perception of life and love will be forever changed.
Taipei (2013), Tao Lin
He might not be world-renowned, but he is one of the most important writers of our time. He is part of the digital era, and many of his stories are meant for young readers. To some, he might be considered boring but Taipei perfectly explains the dynamics of love in the XXI century. He touches on drugs, shallow relationships, and nihilism. In his narrative we discover love is not enough to fight against a grey and depressing reality. Virtual love, real love, vanilla love, all shades of love are valid, and we can make of them a subject of analysis.
This is How you Lose Her (2012), Junot Díaz
This Is How You Lose Her is a string of love stories shared by the protagonist, he narrates his childhood sweethearts, the love of his life, and all the relationships in between, which were based on sexual desire.
The book begins with “Nilda was my brother’s girlfriend”, a glimpse of what lies ahead.
Díaz is an American Dominican writer who was awarded a Pulitzer in 2008 and in his works he combines the personal trajectories of his characters with the social context.
Immortality (1988), Milan Kundera
Kundera explores the different notions of love. The characters, Agnes and her sister Laura, explain their own versions of it. The former believes love consists of brief moments in life; whereas, the latter believes it is an extension of her own body. The author gives us a lecture on the sentimental and social aspects of love. His words and characters will make you re-think your own definitions of what love is and how you perceive it.
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