Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger

Title: Almost Like Being in Love
Author: Steve Kluger
Publisher: Harper Collins
Length: Novel / 370 pages
Buy the book: Amazon

Blurb:

A high school jock and nerd fall in love senior year, only to part after an amazing summer of discovery to attend their respective colleges. They keep in touch at first, but then slowly drift apart.

Flash forward twenty years.

Travis and Craig both have great lives, careers, and loves. But something is missing …. Travis is the first to figure it out. He’s still in love with Craig, and come what may, he’s going after the boy who captured his heart, even if it means forsaking his job, making a fool of himself, and entering the great unknown. Told in narrative, letters, checklists, and more, this is the must-read novel for anyone who’s wondered what ever happened to that first great love.

Review:

This is one of those classic great books that makes the blog review rounds almost every year as more and more readers discover its greatness. I’ve had the paperback on my shelf for a lamentably long time and finally picked it up to highlight for those few readers who haven’t indulged in the fabulousness that makes up this book.  Almost Like Being in Love is a tour de force of wit, charm, and cultural references. A large cast of incredible characters immediately delights and entertains even if the plot doesn’t necessarily go anywhere and the characters are all over the top. It doesn’t matter and in fact, makes the book that much better. If you haven’t read this story – do so now. Right now.

Almost is a true love story that follows Travis and Craig over the course of twenty years but is told in a unique style. Instead of a straight narrative, the story is told in emails, letters, memos, legal pages, newspaper articles, checklists, to do lists, diary entries, homework assignments, and notices between all the characters. The main romantic connection starts with Travis and Craig as young students in boarding school that bond and fall in love quickly as only teenagers can do. On opposite coasts for college, the two drift apart and the story picks up as twenty years have past. Both men have left an indeliable mark on each other but their lives have gone on. Craig has turned into a politically active lawyer with a long time companion, Clayton, while Travis is living with his long time roommate and best friend Gordo while struggling to find love. When Travis decides he must get Craig back, his journey of hilarious comedy and touching romance is not to be missed.

There is so much going on in the story, yet the focus is always on the interpersonal connections. Nothing is confusing or overwhelming and the quick pace lends to a book you finish with satisfying delight, yet wish it never had to end.  The snappy retorts are unique with an air that feels fresh and totally different than anything else.  The unique style of writing immediately draws you into the quirky and charming voice of the author. That same voice permeates all the characters so each one is snarky, witty, clever, funny, and entertaining. They are all this way to an extent with no evil forces but instead a large and varying cast of entertaining and amusing men, women, and children. I thought this would get tiring after a while, all this humor and wit, but the deft handling and crisp writing keep the story moving incredibly fast. The quick changes of style from memo to diary to checklist and so on allow the story and characters to keep up their antics without causing the reader to fatigue on all the endless clever dialogue. Instead, strap in and enjoy the laugh out loud hilarious moments alongside the poignant, touching scenes.

Travis is an absolute delight as an obsessive compulsive history teacher that fell into the job while following a cute ass. Craig’s lasting influence is seen constantly with Travis’ obsession with baseball – just one of the man’s many, many obsessions – yet Travis is completely and wonderfully charming. Despite his insane and unbelievable action, he has a quirky magic that makes you wish Travis is real. His unique brand of helping others without realizing it gives every character a happy, fitting ending. Craig is a perfect counterpoint with his political activism, which he gains from his early association with Travis, and plethora of lost causes. His memos to his law partner Charleen are filled with hilarious cultural references while giving in your face honest opinions. Even his relationship with Clayton is touching and steamy, leaving you wonder how everything will turn out.

If anyone stole the show, young Noah perhaps did. His hilarious and adorable communications with his lawyer Craig are great touches to an already outstanding cast. If anyone was destined to become president at a young age, my vote is on Noah. Yet Travis’ roommate Gordo is also thoroughly entertaining as he finds love long distance with an innocent bystander who becomes embroiled in Travis’ manic and crazy journey to find the love of this life. When Gordo’s father who comments several times that these people can’t be real, after all they’d be institutionalized by now, you can’t help but agree and totally enjoy their antics anyway.

Alongside all the humor, wit, and clever innuendo inserted in very obvious ways, the story is at heart a romance and a love letter to first love. The fabulous storytelling and great writing keep you engaged and absorbed from the beginning to the end but also reminiscent of young lovers and their hopes for forever. No doubt some won’t appreciate its brilliance, but I’d be hard pressed to imagine who they could be. If you haven’t read Almost Like Being in Love, you should definitely make it your next book to read. You won’t be disappointed. I’m off to buy Kluger’s entire backlist so stay tuned for more reviews of his work.