Best books ... chosen by John Bowe
Author and screenwriter John Bowe is the editor of the new book Us: Americans Talk About Love. Below, he names six of his favorite works on the subject.
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (Dover, $3.50). When it comes to love, we think we’re playing chess; really, we’re riding bumper cars. The way Flaubert explores the limits of cherished notions like “romance” and “freedom” couldn’t be more modern, touching, or scary. Emma Bovary’s plight forces us to ask, “Isthere anything going on here greater than our own vanity?”
My Antonia by Willa Cather (Simon & Schuster, $5). Pioneers are fun. Trees are pretty. Immigrants are plucky. Cather’s prairie romance is very sweet, admiring, and loving, if not exactly long on racy glandular proclivities. You wish you loved someone this way.
Queer by William S. Burroughs (Penguin, $14). Strange choice, I know, but along with Junkie, this brief novel—and not his experimental later work—is why Burroughs should be read. This is an object lesson of sorts on how not to love. But Burroughs’ gay narrator also captures with wild, full-color directness the physical, emotional torture and self-abasing downward spiral of mismanaged unrequited love.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry (Harper, $15). The fusion of love, philosophy, and addiction is hot, as is anything set in Mexico. The idea that “No se puede vivir sin amar (One cannot live without love)” is exquisitely balanced against our perpetual inability to do it very well.
The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross (Dover, $3.50). Whether it’s God or fleshlier love one craves, there’s usually an enormous buzz-kill after the initial romantic, sexual, or spiritual transport. This book—the best love poem ever written by a virgin—is no one’s idea of a fun read in 2010. But it prompts years of delectable digestion: Having gotten a taste of love/God/the Ideal, how do I now cope with the stultifying hum of everyday life?
The Guardsman by Ferenc Molnar (out of print). For a Hungarian play from 1910, this feels astonishingly limber and wise. Molnar offers a deft examination of the perils of looking too closely into the workings of a relationship. With love, as with politics and sausage, you really don’t want to know the ingredients.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Sarah Langan recommends 6 women-centric horror books
Feature The horror novelist recommends works by Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Amanda Montell's 6 favorite books that will expand your knowledge
Feature The linguist recommends works by Mary Roach, Alice Carrière, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rowan Beaird recommends 6 compelling books from the 1950s
Feature The author recommends works by Patricia Highsmith, Shirley Jackson, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Stephen Graham Jones' 6 scary books with deeper meanings
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Stephen King, Sara Gran, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
Lauren Oyler's favorite collection of essays that will leave you deep in thought
Feature The author recommends works by Elif Batuman, Mark Greif, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rebecca Serle's 6 favorite books about interpersonal relationships
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by J.D. Salinger, Dolly Alderton, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Cristina Henríquez's 6 popular books with historical themes
Feature The novelist recommends works by Min Jin Lee, Kurt Vonnegut, and more
By The Week US Published