This is a Love Story

This is as special of a book as everyone says it is; definitely one of my favorite reads of the year! It is a romance, but it is very multi-faceted . . . it’s so much more than just a love story! Abe and Jane have been together for 50+ years. Now, Jane is dying of cancer. It is the account of their love and remembering their younger years (both the good parts and the bad parts). It’s also a love story to Central Park. As someone who misses New York every day, I loved those parts. Through their eyes and “remembering,” we get to know them as young twenty-somethings, as exhausted parents and artists . . . watching their careers take flight. Abe is a well-known author and Jane is a famous artist. We also meet their son Max, who has a chip on his shoulder (believing his mother chose her art over him) and can’t seem to commit to anyone or anything. At times, it is very cozy and heartwarming. At times, it breaks your heart. There is a content warning for cancer, and also: the way that it talks about aging can be hard to read at times . . . but the writing is so beautiful and tender; as is the way that Soffer captures all of the different stages of romantic love. I really loved this and had a book hangover when it was done.