Teenage is a magical time for any adolescent. It's a time of great transformation, of boys and girls evolving into pre-adults and discovering a whole new set of feelings, capabilities, and even a perspective of the world. Kelly Link's book encapsulates this period with a generous helping of vivid and creative imagination that would be quite at home in the streaming series Locke & Key.
Kelly Link is an American author well known for her short stories, which extend to a wide variety of genres – magic realism, fantasy and horror. It is no wonder that her much-awaited 'The Book of Love' is exceptionally well-written; it is no surprise that it was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize this year. Link makes reading a book with over 600 pages easy. I read the last 350 pages in merely two days because the magical realism was so captivating.
At the centre of the book are the heroes Laura, Daniel and Mo – three hot-headed teenagers, fully into music and sexual intercourse – who have been resurrected from the dead by Mr. Anabin (their music teacher in reality but one of the doorkeepers of the other realms as well). The three teenagers had disappeared without a trace the year prior to the journey contained in the book, and everyone thought they were dead. But to avoid awkward conversations about whether they had been resurrected, they tell everyone that they had actually gone to study in Ireland for the missing year. But the year they were dead is a mystery for the trio, who must discover what happened to them.
Revived by Mr. Anabin, they are offered a chance to return to the real world. However, they must first solve the mystery of their untimely deaths and learn to use the magic they now possess. Only two of them may stay at a time. Their return upsets a delicate balance that had been maintained for centuries.
They realise that there is a coin – which is like a key – to everything that they are searching for, which belongs to the villain in the book, Malo Moggo (who dresses very flamboyantly something in red velour tracksuits) and she wants it back so that she can keep growing her power. The key is with one of the teenagers, but they don't remember where they kept it or if they have it since they have lost all memory of how they died. Malo Moggo has an assistant, Thomas, who has an age-old rivalry with a creature named Bowie and keeps trying to kill it throughout the book. Bowie takes several shapes– sometimes a bird, sometimes a squirrel, and finally, it takes the shape of a baby towards the end of the novel.
There is talk of magic, summoning people, creating imaginary people, unicorns, romance novels written by Mo's deceased famous African American grandmother
Malo Mogge is a goddess; Thomas, Bowie, Anabin and Bogomil (Anabin and Bogomil are keepers of the doors to the realm) are all hundreds of years old and can perform magic. Anabin and Bogomil are, in fact, wizards. Susannah and Laura are sisters and were in a musical band together with Daniel. The two sisters constantly bicker and fight, as teenage siblings often do. They are shown to not get along with each other. Susannah and Daniel, however, are in an on-off relationship. Laura is a closeted lesbian and makes out with Rosamel in the bathroom at a karaoke evening. Mo and Thomas have feelings for each other from the start.
There is talk of magic, summoning people, creating imaginary people, unicorns, romance novels written by Mo's deceased famous African American grandmother, people turning into foxes, bears and bees, lots of pizza being ordered all the time, and lots of love and family relationships explored as a result of all of the situations that are created for Laura, Susannah, Daniel and Mo mostly. Anabin and Bogomil try to help them with their newly found magical powers and guide them in defeating Malo Moggo.
'A coin, a cup, a knife – a key' – these items are needed to perform the ceremony of changing gatekeepers when Malo Moggo needs to enhance her powers.
'The Book of Love' is important because in today's world where nothing seems constant, where there is an ongoing genocide, and everything seems disastrous, it reminds us of the things that are true of value: family, friendship and just a little magic to get you by in life. The book is filled with compassion and humour; it shows us that love goes on even when people cannot. Link shows that if we remain loyal to what is important to us and have a solid value system, it is hoped the universe will be set right as it is in the novel at the end – even if a great many bad things happen in the process of getting to the 'happy' ending. Like in Mo's grandmother's romance novels, perhaps. But for that – no more spoilers – you'll have to read the book until the very last page to find out how it all turns out. Who discovers the key? Do the teenagers survive Malo Maggo's wrath? Is anyone killed? Who turns into a bear? Who turns into a unicorn? Who's guarding the doors at the end? For answers to all these questions and more, I would advise you to pick up a copy of this enthralling novel. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.