A Review of 'How They Met, And Other Stories' by David Levithan

"Where did they meet?

It was on a plane.  It was at Starbucks.  It was in physics class.  It was during the war.


How did they meet?

It was a set up.  It was completely random.  They were dancing.  One of them ordered a pizza and the other showed up.


What happened?

It was instant.  It took time.  I was a disaster.  It lasted.


In this new gathering of stories, award-winning author David Levithan writes all about LOVE, and about all kinds of LOVE.  From aching for the one you pine for to (reluctantly) being the one pined after, from standing up and speaking up for the one you LOVE to the pure joy and happiness delivered on the smile of someone else, these stories explore the mysterious magnetism that draws people together in ways both expected and unexpected."

My love for David Levithan has only been further cemented.  First of all, I loved that he wrote all of these short stories over a series of Valentine's Days.  It's such a good idea.

I like how he doesn't just stick to the usual "boy meets girl" story.  As an aspiring writer who is still actively learning, I probably would have written that typical story.  Instead, David Levithan explores the worlds of boys and girls and watches as they collide with each other or collide within themselves.  The settings of these stories are different, even the endings are different (they aren't all happy endings, spoiler).  The only thing that is consistent throughout all of the stories is love, the feeling.  While things may not turn out the way they ideally should, feelings of love for one person or another is always present-- and it's beautiful.

My personal favorite was the one where the two meet on the plane.  When, and if, you read it, you might just know why.  The physics one I couldn't help but laugh at because I had that growing realization that he was using physics vocabulary (it slowly dawned on me, I apologize).

David Levithan has written a beautiful compilation book all about love.  I give 'How They Met, And Other Stories':

Thanks for reading!

--Jude