Book Review: On Love by Alain de Botton

I recently read a book called On Love by Alain de Botton. It is written in the form of a first personal male narrative, very analytical and philosophical point by point prose.  This novel analyzes the narrator's relationship with Chloe, from the very beginning to the very end, and of the whole range of thoughts and feelings that we all have when  it comes to love.  In a way, this sort of reminds me of Nick Hornby's style of the male ironic commentary on relationships, only in two different styles.

The chapter titles throughout the book show the author's grasp of philosophy, such as Beyond Good and Evil, The Jesus Complex, and Skepticism and Faith.  In every chapter, de Botton gives a point by point breakdown of the process of falling in love, being in love, and falling out of love.  He uses snippets of incidents or comments to make his points across. This isn't your typical novel, as it comes off, at times, more like a philosophical term paper.

Chloe and the narrator meet, become infatuated and fall in love, sleep together, but never get to the moving in stage of a relationships. You could see the stressors in the relationships, the fights, the clinginess, the distance, which eventually leads to Chloe cheating after the familiarity with each other leads to boredom.  Therein lies the crux of the problem with a relationship, how to maintain a long term relationship while keeping it fresh and not becoming bored with the familiar. That more than anything else, ruined the relationship, more so than Chloe's cheating.

I really liked this novel, as I minored in Philosophy at college, and so I could appreciate the points the author was trying to get across. I don't think this book is for everyone, however, I personally think it is worth taking a look at.