Lily King
Heart the Lover by Lily King is an engaging novel about the relationship of three college students. The novel unfolds in the first-person voice of Jordan, the nickname given to her by Sam and Yash, two classmates in her literature class. Sam and Yash are house-sitting for a professor during his absence. Jordan becomes Sam’s girlfriend and moves in with them. But Sam, a devout Baptist, is unwilling to fully consummate their relationship, much to Jordan’s dismay. Meanwhile, she finds herself attracted to Yash, the gangly, brilliant roommate. Predictably, Jordan’s relationship with Sam fizzles out and she and Yosh become lovers. Unexpectedly, their relationship also comes to an abrupt end.
Fast-forward decades later. The narrator, now a successful author, is happily married and the mother of two sons. Yash pays her a visit, stirring up old memories and personal hurts. The narrator experiences a traumatic upheaval when one of her young boys is diagnosed with a brain tumor requiring a series of brain surgeries. And in the midst of this turmoil, she receives news Yash is dying of cancer and has been hospitalized. She rushes to his bedside where she is reunited with both Sam and Yash. They share laughter and old memories, all the while knowing Yash is on his death bed.
Lily King skillfully evokes the strong bonds that can be forged between students attending the same college and many of the same classes. Jordan, Sam, and Yash are in and out of each other’s lives, discussing professors, debating books they’ve read, sharing opinions, and eating pizzas. But in Jordan’s eyes, this is a relationship of unequals. She perceives herself as academically and intellectually inferior to Sam and Yash. She refers to herself as a “mere student” while they are “scholars.” Intimidated by them, she is in awe of their intellect and is flattered by their interest in her. She allows them to rename her Jordan. Her real name, Casey, is not revealed until the last sentence in the novel. Since renaming is a means of asserting power over an individual, it is apparent Sam and Yosh deem themselves superior to Jordan not only by having the audacity to rename her to suit themselves but also by the manner in which they later dismiss her in their relationship.
King enables us to see Sam and Yosh through Jordan’s eyes, while at the same time we recognize their masculine assertions of power and their contempt for her academic interests. The irony is that decades later, Jordan has become a successful novelist and is happily married. Sam is divorced and Yash never marries. Although she may be justified to do so, Jordan never lords her success over them.
What King captures so poignantly, effectively, and with tenderness is the love these three people have for each other, a love that transcends past transgressions, hurts, betrayals, miscommunications, abandonments, distances, and separations. It is an unshakeable love that transcends time and place. It is a college love affair for the ages.
Highly recommended.