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    FantasyFictionLiterary

    The Book of Love

    by Link, Kelly

    **Kelly Link’s debut novel, The Book of Love, is a genre-defying blend of fantasy, coming-of-age narrative, and exploration of love in its many forms. Set in the peculiar seaside town of Lovesend, Massachusetts, the story follows three teenagers—Laura, Daniel, and Mo—who return from the dead under mysterious circumstances. Guided by their enigmatic music teacher, Mr. Anabin, and a supernatural entity named Bogomil, they must undertake magical trials to reclaim their lives, with the caveat that only two may remain among the living. The novel delves into themes of grief, identity, and the complexities of human relationships, all woven together with Link’s signature wit and surreal storytelling.​

    Author

    • Link, Kelly

    Author Introduction

    • Kelly Link, acclaimed author of The Book of Love, is renowned for her innovative contributions to contemporary speculative fiction.

    Description

    • Set in the coastal town of Lovesend, Massachusetts, Kelly Link’s “The Book of Love” follows three teenagers who mysteriously return from the dead. They must navigate magical challenges to secure their continued existence. The novel explores themes of love in its many forms—romantic, familial, and platonic—alongside grief, identity, and resilience, blending magical realism with coming-of-age drama.

    FAQs

    • What is “The Book of Love” by Kelly Link about?
    • • “The Book of Love” is a novel that blends magical realism, mystery, and coming-of-age drama. It follows three teenagers—Laura, Daniel, and Mo—who mysteriously return from the dead nearly a year after being presumed dead. Set in the eerie seaside town of Lovesend, Massachusetts, the story explores themes of resurrection, love, loss, identity, and supernatural power struggles.
    • Who are the main characters in the novel?
    • • The main characters are three local teenagers: Laura, Daniel, and Mo. Additionally, there is a stowaway involved in their story. The novel also includes family ties, such as sisters Susannah and Laura, central to the plot’s emotional core.
    • What themes does Kelly Link explore in this book?
    • • Kelly Link explores a wide variety of love—including friendship, romance, and family bonds—alongside themes of life, death, loss, and identity. The novel also delves into magical and uncanny elements, mixing joy and terror to affirm that love persists even beyond death.
    • How does Kelly Link’s style influence the story?
    • • Known for her trademark compassion, wit, and literary derring-do, Kelly Link combines the mundane with the uncanny. Her storytelling is rich and enticing, full of magic, mystery, and unexpected twists. The tone shifts playfully between whimsical and hair-raising, making the novel a unique reading experience.
    • Is “The Book of Love” Kelly Link’s first novel?
    • • Yes, “The Book of Love” is Kelly Link’s debut novel. Although she has published several collections of short stories before, this is her first full-length novel and has been highly acclaimed, including being featured on the New York Times list of the best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2024.
    • What kind of reader would enjoy this book?
    • • Readers who appreciate literary fiction with elements of fantasy, magical realism, and mystery will enjoy this novel. Fans of Kelly Link’s short stories will find her distinctive style expanded in a longer format, and those interested in stories about complex relationships, supernatural intrigue, and emotional depth will find much to engage with.
    • Where is the story set?
    • • The novel is set in the fictional coastal town of Lovesend, Massachusetts, a place imbued with a magical and eerie atmosphere that reflects the story’s blend of the real and the supernatural.
    • What makes “The Book of Love” stand out in the fantasy genre?
    • • The novel stands out by seamlessly integrating elements of magic and the uncanny with deeply human emotions and relationships. Kelly Link’s ability to balance whimsy and horror, alongside her inventive narrative style and focus on the complexities of love, gives the book a fresh and compelling voice within fantasy literature.

    Quotes

    • “Bigger things, engaged in their own affairs, their own concerns, never notice when in consequence smaller things are made to suffer.” — Kelly Link, The Book of Love
    • “Time is a row of small and hateful stitches. No one slips through that door once it has been shut.” — Kelly Link, The Book of Love
    • “This is a heartbreaking, funny, terrifying, violent, beautiful novel about life and death, love and loss, and the magic and music at the heart of everything human.” — Paraphrase from critical reviews of Kelly Link’s The Book of Love
    • “Three resurrected teenagers must use magic to determine their fates in a story that explores the fragile boundary between life and death.” — Summarized key idea from The Book of Love by Kelly Link
    • “In the struggle to remain alive, love becomes both a prize and a powerful force shaping the characters’ destinies.” — Thematic insight drawn from The Book of Love by Kelly Link
    1. The Book of Susannah 1
      2,418 Words
    2. The Book of Laura 1
      2,456 Words
    3. The Book of Mo 1
      2,378 Words
    4. The Book of Susannah 2
      2,289 Words
    5. The Book of Ruth 1
      2,505 Words
    7. The Book of Daniel 1
      2,173 Words
    8. The Book of Laura 2
      1,963 Words
    9. The Book of Bowie 1
      2,251 Words
    10. The Book of Maryanne
      2,415 Words
    11. The Book of Mo 2
      2,018 Words
    12. The Book of Laura 3
      1,890 Words
    13. The Book of Daniel 2
      2,194 Words
    14. The Book of Lovesend
      2,296 Words
    15. The Book of Daniel 3
      1,902 Words
    16. The Book of Mo 3
      2,245 Words
    17. The Book of Susannah 3
      2,292 Words
    18. The Book of Vincent
      2,391 Words
    19. The Book of Laura 4
      2,306 Words
    20. The Book of Hannah
      2,231 Words
    21. The Book of Daniel 4
      1,920 Words
    22. The Book of the Second Night
      2,151 Words
    23. The Book of Thomas 1
      2,534 Words
    24. The Book of the Second Morning
      2,035 Words
    25. The Book of Laura 5
      2,411 Words
    26. The Book of Mo 4
      2,370 Words
    27. The Book of Daniel 5
      2,523 Words
    28. The Book of Anabin 1
      2,061 Words
    29. The Book of Laura 6
      2,697 Words
    30. The Book of Susannah 4
      2,353 Words
    31. The Book of Laura 7
      2,292 Words
    32. The Book of Daniel 6
      2,158 Words
    33. The Book of Susannah 5
      2,286 Words
    34. The Book of Thomas 2
      2,575 Words
    35. The Book of Bowie 2
      2,332 Words
    36. The Book of Laura 8
      2,208 Words
    37. The Book of Kyle Mylynowski
      2,388 Words
    38. The Book of Daniel 7
      1,831 Words
    39. The Book of Mo 5
      2,123 Words
    40. The Book of Susannah 6
      2,389 Words
    41. The Book of Malo Mogge 1
      1,911 Words
    42. The Book of Mo 6
      2,297 Words
    43. The Book of Kristofer
      2,255 Words
    44. The Book of Anabin and Bogomil
      2,251 Words
    45. The Book of Daniel 8
      2,255 Words
    46. The Book of Ethan
      2,145 Words
    47. The Book of Mo 7
      2,449 Words
    48. The Book of Susannah 7
      2,128 Words
    49. The Book of Laura 9
      2,225 Words
    50. The Book of Daniel 9
      2,122 Words
    51. The Book of Mo 8
      2,115 Words
    52. The Book of Laura 10
      2,040 Words
    53. The Book of Susannah 8
      2,433 Words
    54. The Book of Avelot
      2,675 Words
    55. The Book of Mo 9
      2,366 Words
    56. The Book of Daniel 10
      2,607 Words
    57. The Book of Susannah 9
      2,528 Words
    58. The Book of Laura 11
      1,932 Words
    59. The Book of Mo 10
      2,361 Words
    60. The Book of Susannah 10
      2,238 Words
    61. The Book of Daniel 11
      2,496 Words
    62. The Book of Susannah 11
      2,266 Words
    63. The Book of Laura 12
      2,372 Words
    64. The Book of Mo 11
      2,280 Words
    65. The Book of Susannah 12
      2,037 Words
    66. The Book of Bowie 3
      2,281 Words
    67. The Book of Laura 13
      2,319 Words
    68. The Book of Rosamel Walker 1
      2,063 Words
    69. The Book of Mo 12
      2,231 Words
    70. The Book of Daniel 12
      2,352 Words
    71. The Book of Bowie 4
      2,288 Words
    72. The Book of Laura 14
      2,205 Words
    73. The Book of Mo 13
      2,388 Words
    74. The Book of Daniel 13
      2,216 Words
    75. The Book of Mo 14
      2,440 Words
    76. The Book of Thomas 3
      2,438 Words
    77. The Book of Daniel 14
      2,190 Words
    78. The Book of Bowie 5
      2,185 Words
    79. The Book of Mo 15
      2,174 Words
    80. The Book of Susannah 13
      2,424 Words
    81. The Book of Laura 15
      2,133 Words
    82. The Book of Mo 16
      2,145 Words
    83. The Book of Daniel 15
      2,283 Words
    84. The Book of Ruth 2
      1,976 Words
    85. The Book of Mo 17
      2,327 Words
    86. The Book of Laura 16
      2,119 Words
    87. The Book of Thomas 4
      2,376 Words
    88. The Book of Anabin 2
      2,320 Words
    89. The Book of Bogomil and Susannah
      2,217 Words
    90. The Book of Daniel 16
      2,500 Words
    91. The Book of Carousel 1
      2,334 Words
    92. The Book of Mo 18
      2,257 Words
    93. The Book of Laura 17
      2,304 Words
    94. The Book of Malo Mogge 2
      2,181 Words
    95. The Book of Daniel 17
      2,137 Words
    96. The Book of Mo 19
      2,190 Words
    97. The Book of Daniel 18
      2,352 Words
    98. The Book of Rosamel Walker 2
      2,263 Words
    99. The Book of Mo 20
      2,163 Words
    100. The Book of Malo Mogge’s Key and how it was Lost
      2,543 Words
    101. The Book of Daniel 19
      2,453 Words
    102. The Book of Laura 18
      2,421 Words
    103. The Book of Daniel 20
      2,049 Words
    104. The Book of Mary Kenner
      2,432 Words
    105. The Book of Thomas 5
      2,277 Words
    106. The Book of Susannah 14
      2,342 Words
    107. The Book of Laura 19
      2,075 Words
    108. The Book of Daniel 21
      2,161 Words
    109. The Book of Bowie 6
      2,505 Words
    110. The Book of Susannah 15
      2,300 Words
    111. The Book of Susannah’s Realm
      2,189 Words
    112. The Book of Mo 21
      2,190 Words
    113. The Book of Carousel 2
      2,275 Words
    114. The Book of My Two Hands Both Knowe You
      2,375 Words
    115. The Book of Endings
      2,454 Words
    Ongoing April 15, 2025Apr 15, '25 259.5 K Everyone

    Quotes

    “Bigger things, engaged in their own affairs, their own concerns, never notice when in consequence smaller things are made to suffer.”

    — Kelly Link, The Book of Love

    “Time is a row of small and hateful stitches. No one slips through that door once it has been shut.”

    — Kelly Link, The Book of Love

    “This is a heartbreaking, funny, terrifying, violent, beautiful novel about life and death, love and loss, and the magic and music at the heart of everything human.”

    — Paraphrase from critical reviews of Kelly Link’s The Book of Love

    “Three resurrected teenagers must use magic to determine their fates in a story that explores the fragile boundary between life and death.”

    — Summarized key idea from The Book of Love by Kelly Link

    “In the struggle to remain alive, love becomes both a prize and a powerful force shaping the characters’ destinies.”

    — Thematic insight drawn from The Book of Love by Kelly Link

    FAQs

    What is “The Book of Love” by Kelly Link about?

    • “The Book of Love” is a novel that blends magical realism, mystery, and coming-of-age drama. It follows three teenagers—Laura, Daniel, and Mo—who mysteriously return from the dead nearly a year after being presumed dead. Set in the eerie seaside town of Lovesend, Massachusetts, the story explores themes of resurrection, love, loss, identity, and supernatural power struggles.

    Who are the main characters in the novel?

    • The main characters are three local teenagers: Laura, Daniel, and Mo. Additionally, there is a stowaway involved in their story. The novel also includes family ties, such as sisters Susannah and Laura, central to the plot’s emotional core.

    What themes does Kelly Link explore in this book?

    • Kelly Link explores a wide variety of love—including friendship, romance, and family bonds—alongside themes of life, death, loss, and identity. The novel also delves into magical and uncanny elements, mixing joy and terror to affirm that love persists even beyond death.

    How does Kelly Link’s style influence the story?

    • Known for her trademark compassion, wit, and literary derring-do, Kelly Link combines the mundane with the uncanny. Her storytelling is rich and enticing, full of magic, mystery, and unexpected twists. The tone shifts playfully between whimsical and hair-raising, making the novel a unique reading experience.

    Is “The Book of Love” Kelly Link’s first novel?

    • Yes, “The Book of Love” is Kelly Link’s debut novel. Although she has published several collections of short stories before, this is her first full-length novel and has been highly acclaimed, including being featured on the New York Times list of the best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2024.

    What kind of reader would enjoy this book?

    • Readers who appreciate literary fiction with elements of fantasy, magical realism, and mystery will enjoy this novel. Fans of Kelly Link’s short stories will find her distinctive style expanded in a longer format, and those interested in stories about complex relationships, supernatural intrigue, and emotional depth will find much to engage with.

    Where is the story set?

    • The novel is set in the fictional coastal town of Lovesend, Massachusetts, a place imbued with a magical and eerie atmosphere that reflects the story’s blend of the real and the supernatural.

    What makes “The Book of Love” stand out in the fantasy genre?

    • The novel stands out by seamlessly integrating elements of magic and the uncanny with deeply human emotions and relationships. Kelly Link’s ability to balance whimsy and horror, alongside her inventive narrative style and focus on the complexities of love, gives the book a fresh and compelling voice within fantasy literature.

    Note