Beach read that still makes you THINK...loves it!

Confession: It took my roommate pointing it out to make me realize that the title of this book is actually a song title. Upon realizing that, I had an even higher appreciation for the artistry of this book, and a sense of relief that the title did not mean that the main characters are doomed to break up. Though they may indeed be, that's for you as the reader to hypothesize about.

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Sarah Rainone was just released on Tuesday, but since I'm kind of a big deal I got an advanced copy and was able to blow through it during my roof-deck relaxation time during the first nice weekend of the summer. The killer tan I got was just a bonus to the entertainment. The book follows the story of a group of childhood friends reuniting for the wedding of the what is perceived as the "perfect couple" of their circle. The story is told from the points of view of four members of the wedding party, but never the bride and groom themselves. Action taking place during the wedding festivities is intertwined with flashbacks of the grade-school events and memories that have made these characters who they grew up to become. Keeping true to one of the overall themes of the book, these memories and emotions are masterfully tied to specific songs and genres of music.

Admittedly at first I was confused by the constantly rotating narrators and subtle notation of dialogue (nary do you find a quotation mark). Also, the book is written in first person, and I typically find that first person novels come across as juvenile and flighty. Put simply, most novels written in first person suck. However, once I eased into the style of this book I found that using first person was a wise choice on Rainone's part. The writing style lets the reader really enter the characters' minds which is essential for this type of novel which does not necessarily have a plot or tell a complete story. As more of a character and lifestyle study, I don't mind that we don't necessarily have a shocking ending or firm conclusion at the novel's completion. Rather we learn a little more about ourselves and our relationship with our own past through these characters. And isn't that what reading should really be all about kids?