Speaking of Love

What a beautiful, insightful piece of writing. This is one of the best books I've ever read about relationships and the need to express one's thoughts, especially love. I regard it as an essential read for anyone who's part of a family

I really enjoyed this novel! The structure is complicated, but brilliant. Written from several different viewpoints - the voices of the central characters - it began like a mystery requiring me, the reader to discover the relationship between each of the characters. I started out a little confused by the swift changes between voices, and flashbacks to earlier events, but soon relaxed as I realized that my questions were answered within a few pages of asking. There are several themes to the novel. The central one is, as the title suggests, love, and the mental and emotional difficulties arising from neither acknowledging nor expressing it. A second important theme is the art of storytelling. Not only is Iris a storyteller who creates and performs her stories, but the author has used stories as metaphors within the novel to further the plot. I read the book while on vacation, and was glad I did as once into it, I could not put it down. I was moved to tears towards the end, and then suffered from severe "novel withdrawal!" This is Angela Young's first novel, and I hope there will be many more to follow.