The Secret Lives of People in Love

i really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. 1) its a quick read, but you just keep reading the same lines over and over sometimes. (I keep this one close so I can grab it often.) van booy just has a way with words, and especially metaphors. ex: "It was possible to be alive and not exist at the very same moment". 2) so beautiful in its ability to capture the whole spectrum of human emotions - sad, happy, humored, angry, confused, overwhlemed, attracted, sympathetic, everything! and even though every chapter is a completly new story, you feel so drawn in that you feel all of it, too. i cried, laughed, and got mad - the people on the subways in new york would have thought i was crazy if not for their immunity to bizare circumstances. 3) He has a very unique way of viewing the world, and your completly sucked into that. 4) I'm a literature and philosophy junkie (and student) and I found so many interesting links and alluions to other texts/ideas. so if you're like me, this is a very rich and dynamic novel. however, you don't have to see these things in it to enjoy it. in fact, i think its siplicity is perhaps the best part. please read, you won't regret!

With such a provocative title, you know this book won't disappoint, even though the absolutely accurate name refers to different scenarios than you might imagine. There are so many ways to love and grieve and live completely wrapped in isolation, even in the bustling city. Van Booy thinks of just about all of them and then some in these short stories. He spins sad, hopeful tales in gossamer threads that wind themselves around you until one or two well-placed words in the final sentence bring the whole piece crashing down in brilliant, unexpected ways. These stories mean the most when you feel a bit sad or isolated yourself, perhaps because they shine the light of hope where it needs to go, reminding us that we are all connected by love and our interpretations of living through it. Not to be missed.

This is a well-written, thoughtful book, full of engaging characters who triumph over life's adversities and share their wisdom with the reader. Van Booy is a master of metaphor--you will find yourself backtracking just to re-experience his images! Few new writers these days create beautiful, literary prose, so this is an author (and book) to cherish and share with others! BUY THIS BOOK and your faith in the publishing industry shall be renewed!

I had Simon as an english professor at my university and his love and knowledge of literature has transpired onto the pages of this beautiful book. It was such a quick read, and his writing made me read the book in one sitting! If you want more info about him, check out his myspace page by typing in his full name.

Van Booy is a poet whose rich and lyrical prose tells of having found something truly beautiful. His stories are tributes to the brevity of experience and the endurance of emotions. They are mysteries in broad daylight that make us weep with the bittersweet joy of having been born at all. While reading this book, I am gratefully reminded of how fragile and miraculous life is. Van Booy subtly forces an appreciation of a shared world and especially each other in it; by giving us elegant and understated contact with the tangible functions of love and loss. I recommend his book to anyone who likes clean and simple language that can transpose a sentiment into an insight with humor and grace. The Secret Lives of People in Love follows in the tradition of timeless literature; Flaubert, Neruda, Chekov, Camus, Lorca, and Kafka. It is smart, humane and above all, reminiscent of perfect moments in time.