On Love by Alain de Botton (July 28 - August 11, 2004)
This story is an analysis of a romantic relationship, really an over-analysis. The unnamed narrator meets Chloe on a flight from Paris back to London, and he is immediately smitten. Every aspect of their relationship, from their first talk on the phone, to first date is described and dissected. Their story is very simple, from first attractions and romanticizing the quirks in the one you love, to the first fight over nothing, differences in taste, all the way through the break up and recovery.
It’s funny because it catches those inane and simple parts of every
relationship. You can’t help but identify with something the narrator
tells you. Though you couldn’t really have deep sympathy for either of
the characters, the situations were instantly recognizable
Favorite Quotes:
"Without love, we lose the ability to possess a proper identity, within love,
there is a constant confirmation of self."
"The unknown carries with it a mirror of all our deepest, most inexpressible
wishes. The unknown is the fatal proposition that a face seen across the room
will always hold out to the known...A face seen for a few moments or hours
only then to disappear forever is the necessary catalyst for dreams that cannot
be formulated, an empty space, an immeasurable desire within oneself that seems
undefinable as it is unquenchable."
