Hard Love

The first line of Ellen Wittlinger’s ‘Hard Love’ grabs you, pulls you close and leaves you begging for more. And more is what it gives you, right up until the last word. Of course, after the last word you begin to beg for more again, but I’m writing this to begin the begging, not to end it.

With two emotionally detached parents and few friends, John’s release is through a homemade magazine he writes called ‘Bananafish?’. Under the pen name ‘Giovanni’, he goes to meet his favourite ‘zine writer and inspiration, “Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Cambridge, Massachusetts, rich spoiled lesbian private-school gifted-and-talented writer virgin” Marisol Guzman, who he introduces himself to as ‘Gio’.

Quickly becoming best friends, Marisol helps John to stop looking at the world from a distance and begin to experience life for real. From concerts to coffee, the two teens begin to look into each other’s worlds. However, after John mistakes their growing closeness for love and asks Marisol on a disastrous date, their relationship unravels slowly, leaving John in a bigger state of confusion than he ever was before.

‘Hard Love’ was an amazing novel. Although an easy read, the words used created a sense of authenticity, and made the book flow better. Many exerts from fake ‘zines and letters bring even more interest to the book. Written in first person, the author’s short, choppy style of writing make this book seem realistic.

However, the real strength of ‘Hard Love’ is the plot. The storyline is completely believable, and by the end of this novel, my outlook on life and love had definitely changed. The characters come alive in your mind, and you can relate to almost everything that John says, even if you haven’t experienced it yourself. One of those novels that you just can’t put down, one of those stories that you find yourself borrowing every time you go to the library, one of those books that always comes to mind instantly after being asked if you have any book recommendations, ‘Hard Love’ is a powerful novel that changes the way you think about family, sexuality, friendship and love.