Review: Unforgettable love story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 24, 2013
Devastated. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. That was my initial reaction after finishing the book. My emotions were running high. I was so wrapped up in these characters, I couldn't let them go. I cried myself to sleep. And that was after the happy ending! Well, sort-of-happy.Memorizing You takes place during an era when coming out was a lot riskier than it is today. David comes to realize at a young age that he feels about boys the way all the other guys feel about girls. He doesn't understand how or why he's like this, and there's no one he can talk to about it. He tries to change, to fit in, but it just doesn't work.And then he meets Ryan. I loved the early dynamic between these two. One tells the other in confidence that he's gay, but the other is not ready to admit the same in return. Yet we get the sense that they both know--it just goes unspoken. There is no pressure and no judgement between them. Their friendship and mutual affection grow until, one day, there's just no more denying it. They're in love.What really touched me was the way David's family handled their relationship. The word "gay" was never used. David and Ryan were just "David and Ryan". The smiles, the way they took care of each other, the way they were happy whenever they were together and sad whenever they were apart, spoke volumes. Their families noticed, their friends noticed. And for the most part, they found acceptance.I commend the author for making everything feel so right for its time. The story wouldn't have played out the way it did had it happened today. People today would be more willing to voice their opinions openly, not just about homosexuality, but about divorce and domestic violence as well. The late sixties, for many, were a time of "peace, love, and understanding," and we see the effects of that mentality here.Of course, not everyone is so understanding, and David and Ryan suffer a terrible loss. The tragedy that occurs left me thoroughly grief-stricken. Hence the crying myself to sleep, even after reading the epilogue, which, although it was meant to ease the ache, wasn't quite enough to heal my shattered heart.It's a compliment to the author that these characters affected me so.