How do you know you're in love? If you ask the movies, it's when you sing to your crush from the school bleachers, run onto the baseball field to make-up with your crush, or hold up signs that your girl is perfect. But what if you're not ready for such a high-stakes romantic gesture? For Sam in Slam, he's not sure he loves Alicia. He tells her he does when he thinks she's hot and wants to get in her pants, and to be fair he even feels it sometimes. But other times, he's not so sure. He just doesn't feel that magic spark with her anymore, even after they have a kid together.
A little time maturing helps Sam tap into a different kind of love, though—love for his kid that enables him to get along just fine with Alicia, no romance required.
Questions About Love
- Does Sam love Alicia? Does Alicia love Sam? How come they don't really know if they love each other? Give evidence from the book, pretty please.
- How does Sam's love for Alicia change over the course of the book? Why do you think his feelings for her fade?
- What's the deal with love in the parents' relationships? Do you think Andrea and Robert love each other? What about Sam's folks? How is this different than what Sam feels for Alicia?
Chew on This
Just because Sam and Alicia are becoming parents doesn't mean they're any more mature when it comes to their relationship and understanding of love.
In Slam, happiness is ultimately more important than love.